Adrian Peterson will play in the NFL in 2015, the only question is where. The Vikings, the team that drafted him in 2007, want the running back enough to pay him $12.75 million next season. But Peterson, who felt the organization didn't support him after he was indicted on child-injury charges last fall, wants to be elsewhere.
There was a report last week (and previously this offseason) that the Cowboys are interested in Peterson's services. And now Herschel Walker, the man at the center of the largest trade in NFL history -- that, incidentally, included the Cowboys and Vikings -- thinks Minnesota should give Peterson his wish.
"It makes no sense just to hang on to him just to hang on to him," Walker told the PionerPress.com's Chris Tomasson. "I don't think that's right if you're not getting along. ...
"They should trade him because I think Adrian has lost his love for the Vikings with everything that went on last year," Walker continued. "There is a lot of bad blood right now. I think Adrian feels that (the Vikings) should have supported him throughout his tough time, and I think they should trade him if they can."
Any trade for Peterson, who last November pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge of recklessly assaulting his four-year-old son, would likely happen before next weekend's draft, according to Tomasson, and could include Dallas, Arizona, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay or San Diego.
Of course, the draft is stocked with quality backs, several of whom could make their way into the first round. But Walker thinks Peterson would make more sense for a team in the market for a big-play runner.
"If you're a general manager and you're a team that is right on the verge of being an elite team, a Super Bowl contender, I wouldn't go out and draft a young (running back)," he said. "I think Adrian is somebody I'm going to go out and get because he can put you over the top."
Sounds ambitious for a 30-year-old with more than 2,000 career carries. Still, acquiring Peterson won't come cheap. Last week, ESPN's Adam Caplan said that the Vikings would be looking for a first-round pick and possibly "more compensation" in return for Peterson.
"The more compensation would be this, they want a starting cornerback," Caplan said at the time. "From what I've heard, they've really identified their number one need right now is cornerback."
In case you're wondering, the latest CBSSports.com mock drafts have the Vikings taking cornerback Trae Waynes or wideout DeVante Parker with the No. 11 pick.
