Adrian Peterson says he has no intention of leaving
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) breaks away from Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher (59) during the fourth quarter at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Redskins 34-27. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings are blessed with one of the most gifted running backs in NFL history in Adrian Peterson, who is a living legend and is also quite clearly the best running back in the league. Guys like LeSean McCoy, Marshawn Lynch, and Alfred Morris are well-worth praising, but nobody runs with the mix of power, speed, explosiveness, agility, and vision (and my goodness is Peterson’s vision something to gush over) that Peterson does. Nobody. Even though Peterson means a whole lot to this Vikings team and the fan base, there are those who believe the Vikings need to trade Peterson in order to receive picks for the future to build their team with (particularly at quarterback). Of course, one always has to remember that most teams trading superstar players get ripped off, because trades like the Trent Richardson deal are definitely anomalies in this league (yet another reason why the Indianapolis Colts really goofed it up on that deal, but it also shows that there could be a great deal out there for Peterson’s services given his caliber of play).
As expected, Peterson has no intention of leaving. Even though that’s something most of us have always believed, it’s always great to hear the man say it himself. He told the St. Paul Pioneer-Press’s Chris Tomasson, “I definitely wouldn’t mind playing here. I feel like we have the right pieces and we can continue to get some more pieces as well to help build this team and make us even stronger. … So, no, (I don’t want to go anywhere else).”
“Pieces”, you say? The Vikings made the playoffs last year, so it isn’t like they are bereft of talent at all. I mean, they have guys like Adrian Peterson after all. But the Vikings desperately need to figure things out at the quarterback position (they don’t seem to be on the right track in that regard), and they also need to make big upgrades to arguably the NFL’s worst secondary. There are things that need to be done, but there’s no reason for Peterson to feel like he wants to leave. Not when he’s loved so much by the fans and the city/cities/state and there’s also the fact that he seems to be as loyal as they come.
But Peterson would understand if the Vikings trade him since it’s the business of things, “I know this is a business and things like that happen. So if it happens, it happens. There’s not much I can’t handle. I’m sure someone will welcome me with open arms if they do decide to trade me. … But it’s a business, so if they trade me, then, hey.”
I really don’t want the Vikings to trade him, especially since there’s no guarantee that the Vikings will be able to get what they want out of Peterson in the form of draft picks or players. I say players, because a team will most likely have to give up a player or two in order to take on Peterson’s salary.
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