Adrian Peterson has not had a carry in a preseason game in five years, but Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is not ready to rule the veteran out of the remaining exhibition games in 2016 just yet.
On Monday, Zimmer told reporters he is going to leave the decision up to Peterson.
“I’m going to sit down and talk to him about it and if he wants to play then we’ll discuss what we think,” he said, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “If he goes in there, he’s probably not going to get one and out, so he’s going to play.”
Peterson, 31, said back in May that he felt like “playing a little bit” in the preseason could be good for him. Obviously, Zimmer said he doesn’t need to see the seven-time Pro Bowler in exhibition games to make any decisions about the team’s offense.
“No, I see him on the highlight films every week,” Zimmer said.
At this point, why risk it? Peterson has been just fine over the past several years without taking additional hits in the preseason. He put together one of his best seasons in 2015 despite being on the wrong side of 30, but the Vikings have every reason to be careful with him during the summer. They have a chance to be a legitimate contender in the NFC if Peterson continues to be effective and Teddy Bridgewater improves even more.
Plus, there have been indications that Peterson could be in search of a new contract next offseason. The last thing he needs is to suffer some sort of serious injury in a meaningless game. Our guess is he doesn’t play.
