Why the Dallas Cowboys must pursue Adrian Peterson
By Evan Massey
Dec 1, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back
Adrian Peterson(28) looks on during overtime against the Chicago Bears at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Bears 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Why must the Dallas Cowboys aggressively pursue a trade for superstar running back Adrian Peterson now that they have the money following Tony Romo‘s contract restructure?
The Dallas Cowboys lost star running back DeMarco Murray in free agency to their division-rival Philadelphia Eagles earlier this offseason. It was a very disappointing loss for the Cowboys, but they don’t feel that they will miss him too terribly much.
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Adrian Peterson’s name has been one of the hottest names throughout the entire offseason, and he has been rumored to be available in trade talks. Minnesota certainly doesn’t want to move him if they can convince him to stay, but so far he hasn’t shown too much willingness to play the 2015 season out with the Vikings. That doesn’t mean that they will necessarily trade him, but they likely would at the right price.
Dallas didn’t have enough money to go after Peterson with the move to sign Greg Hardy, but Tony Romo‘s restructured contract opened up an extra $13 million in cap space. Peterson has a $15.4 million cap hit, but the Cowboys could afford to acquire him now with that move.
It is certainly an intriguing thought, and adding Peterson to the team would immediately make them even more dangerous offensively than they were last season. Murray was an excellent piece for them all season long, but he was far from being as good as Peterson. Adding Peterson behind the dominant offensive line that the Cowboys have would be an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses.
Throughout his eight-year NFL career, Peterson has run for 10,190 yards and 86 touchdowns on 2,054 carries.
All of that being said, why must the Cowboys aggressively pursue a trade for Peterson? What would he bring to the team, and how much of an upgrade would he be over Murray?
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