The Arizona Cardinals are said to be interested in trading for Adrian Peterson, but not at his current price tag.
The Minnesota Vikings would undoubtedly be seeking a high-round draft pick in exchange for Peterson, and the Cardinals could be willing to give one up. However, Peter King of The MMQB reports that Arizona has no interest in paying Peterson the $45 million he has remaining on his contract.
I spoke with a reliable Cardinals source Sunday night, and the three years and $45 million left on Peterson’s contract is an absolute non-starter with the Cards. “We haven’t had contact with the Vikings about it, to the best of my knowledge,” the source said. “And there is no way we could live with those numbers. We just got Larry Fitzgerald’s contract under control. No way we’d add that salary.” Two other detrimental factors: Arizona loves the running-back crop in this draft, and the Cardinals, with the 23rd and 55th overall picks, would be able to get a very good one. And Peterson turns 30 on Saturday. Not an optimum age for a back, even one who got so little wear on his tires in 2014.
In other words, Peterson would need to agree to a significant pay cut if he wants to play for the Cardinals. And if he wants out of Minnesota badly enough, the same will probably be true for a lot of teams.
Peterson is reportedly still unhappy with the Vikings, and his father believes the team is putting on an act with the things ownership has said about AP in public. With Peterson owed nearly $13 million in 2015, very few teams will be willing to trade a high draft pick for him without some salary relief. That puts everyone in an extremely difficult position.
