Vikings Face Tough Decision with Adrian Peterson in 2015 Offseason

Adrian Peterson will be the hot-button topic in all discussions related to the Minnesota Vikings in the 2015 offseason, at least until the future becomes far clearer than it is now.

General manager Rick Spielman, head coach Mike Zimmer and the entire staff in Minnesota have an unenviable situation on their hands. Not only might they make some determination on the public relations side of bringing back the star running back, the team’s decision-makers have on-field considerations to ponder as well.

The future of Peterson in Minnesota is just as murky now as it was a few months ago. Numerous paths are waiting, and each presents its own set of hurdles for all involved.

Assuming Peterson is on the same page as the Minnesota front office, bringing him back for the 2015 season is still on the table. He would immediately supplant Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon at the top of the depth chart and likely receive upward of 250 carries again as the lead back.

Regarding Peterson’s ability to get back up to speed, Spielman feels confident, per Derek Wetmore of 1500 ESPN:

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Spielman also referenced Peterson's incredible return from his ACL injury as a reason he expects the RB to perform well going forward.

— Derek Wetmore (@DerekWetmore) January 14, 2015"

Peterson has averaged over 4.4 yards per carry in every one of his NFL seasons. He also topped 1,200 yards in every season in which he played at least 14 games. Whichever team fields Peterson will expect him to match those numbers again in 2015, despite the fact he missed almost a whole season a year ago.

Minnesota needs Peterson back, quite clearly. McKinnon and Asiata are both complementary backs in the best-case scenario. Peterson would add a viable No. 1 runner to the Minnesota backfield, diversifying the offense’s attack and theoretically taking pressure off the shoulders of Teddy Bridgewater.

A Peterson return could do wonders for the Vikings in 2015. At the very least, it would strengthen the backfield considerably.

The cynical among us will look into Spielman’s comments differently, however. His sweet talking has certainly misled the media before.

If Minnesota wished to move Peterson via trade, it would make sense for Spielman to talk him up in interviews, trying to lure in a team like the Dallas Cowboys for a swap.

The situation very well could be that the Vikings still have no concrete plan for Peterson. In that case, Spielman will look to keep as many doors open as possible. Wetmore brings that up as well:

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Forgive the cynicism but you get the sense that the Vikings' interests are best served by talking up Peterson's on-field abilities.

— Derek Wetmore (@DerekWetmore) January 14, 2015"

The Vikings would obviously prefer to trade Peterson instead of releasing him outright, that way they would receive compensation of some kind.

Whether released or traded, Minnesota will take a $2.4 million cap hit on Peterson in 2015, via Spotrac. Spielman and the Vikings should regard that as a sunk cost. It’s spilled milk that will not return to the carton.

Minnesota can save itself over $12 million in 2015 by releasing or trading Peterson, however, so financial incentives exist.

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Any outcome that sees Peterson out the door would take the Vikings down a rabbit hole.

The first objective would then be to find reinforcements for the backfield. Minnesota can not ride the same carousel of limited backs it did at the end of the 2014 season.

Free agency is an option. Mark Ingram, Shane Vereen and Ryan Mathews could all entice Minnesota to some degree. The apple of Spielman’s eye would probably be DeMarco Murray. He is coming off a barnstorming season with over 1,800 yards on the ground and 13 touchdowns.

A heavy workload could limit his future output, because Murray was given a massive 449 offensive touches in 2014. At the same time, it was the first season Murray played in all 16 games as a pro.

He will also be well on the right side of 30 years old, turning 27 in February. With all the money freed up by Peterson’s departure, Minnesota could foot the bill for a back like Murray.

The draft would be option No. 2. Spielman also mentioned May’s draft as a possible avenue, via USA Today’s Tom Pelissero:

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Spielman said a lot of #Vikings plans at RB will be determined by Peterson's situation. But said this RB draft class is deepest in a while.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 14, 2015"

Without a doubt, Minnesota would have its pick of a big litter in the 2015 class of running backs. Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, Georgia’s Todd Gurley, Indiana’s Tevin Coleman, Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah and Miami’s Duke Johnson make up just a handful of the top prospects in a star-studded group.

Minnesota could reasonably wait until the second or third round to pluck one as well, easing the expense of such a pick.

The final option, a fan favorite, is for the Vikings to bring Peterson back by restructuring his contract. That means Peterson would be taking a pay cut, at least in 2015.

USA TODAY Sports

A restructure could be a tricky proposition for Minnesota, however. Due over $12 million in base salary—the only portion of Peterson’s figures that can be tweaked—the Vikings have a lot of money to account for.

Any reduction in 2015 salary would likely become guaranteed money in the future. Minnesota does not want to be taking cap hits on Peterson two or three years from now if he is not long for the Twin Cities.

Spielman and cap manager Rob Brzezinski could take a different approach, too, offering Peterson the ability to void his deal in the future or fully guaranteeing his salary in 2015. In cutting Peterson’s pay next season, some concessions would probably need to go the other way.

All of that assumes Peterson would be willing to restructure in the first place. He could force Minnesota’s hand by standing pat.

The Peterson situation as a whole is a convoluted mess, only made more difficult by the fact that he is still currently suspended. Minnesota holds no obvious answer, so it will work through all of these scenarios to determine its best course of action.

Until a conclusion is reached, fans can do little more than wait.

Statistics via ESPN.com unless noted otherwise.