No bad blood between Sean Payton and Adrian Peterson, who won't be cut or traded

The Saints aren't considering cutting or trading Peterson after the appearance of sideline tension

While ESPN cameras appeared to capture a sideline blowup between new Saints running back Adrian Peterson and coach Sean Payton Monday night in Minnesota, the men did not exchange words, according to sources with knowledge of the situation, and there is no disagreement or rift between them. Both men publicly denied any argument in comments to the media this week and in fact both were surprised when the exchange made immediate waves on social media.

The camera cut to Payton while he was storming down the sidelines, trying to implore his team after giving up a touchdown and Peterson was several feet behind him. It appears as if Peterson might have called Payton an "a--hole" at the end of the sequence but in fact Peterson was yelling along with his coach in agreement and said "let's run it down their asses." At the time, the men never discussed the matter because neither believed it was volatile or disruptive, but sources said they did have a brief chat about it on the plane home from Minnesota as questions and texts and Tweets kept multiplying at a rapid pace.

The coach and player quickly found out they were on the same page, and the matter was squashed as far as they were concerned, as nothing had actually happened, sources said. Of course, it took on a life of its own in the media -- which both men understood in large part given how the scene looked as it was presented during the broadcast -- but wasn't of any consequence inside the locker room or at practice this week. While Peterson's comments later in the week about not signing up for nine touches were not ideal -- as he was not signed to be a feature back in New Orleans and remains one cog in a crowded and talented backfield -- there are no lingering issues.

The Saints have no plans to release him or trade him and, if anything, hope to have more volume in their offense and more opportunities to run the ball overall in Week 2. Peterson has limitations in the pass game, as running routes and catching the ball were never his forte, even when he was a perennial All Pro.