Adrian Peterson, Vikings Reunion Would Be Best for Everyone

It wasn't that long ago that Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson sat atop the National Football League. The league MVP. A 2,000-yard rusher.

Then came the fall from grace. The child abuse allegations, charges and plea deal. Placement on the commissioner's exempt list. A lost 2014 season and a reputation left in ashes.

The scandal that engulfed Peterson and the Vikings last year had many predicting that player and team would part ways. Those winds have shifted, however, and as Peterson fights in court to be reinstated by the NFL, both have stated publicly that they're open to a reunion this year.

As the Associated Press reported on Feb. 6, Peterson had a quick answer when asked whether he'd like to play in Minnesota in 2015.

"Of course," Peterson said.

Then, as ESPN.com's Ben Goessling reported earlier this week, Vikings president Mark Wilf indicated that feeling was mutual:

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Adrian's done a lot of good in this community. He's done a lot for us on the football field, as well. Of course, he's a Minnesota Viking, and we'd love to have him back. And of course, a lot depends on the NFL and steps he's making in his own personal journey. That's where we're at with it.

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On Thursday, newly promoted chief operating officer Kevin Warren echoed that refrain, according to Goessling:

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I think I've made it very clear how I personally feel about Adrian, how our organization feels about him. [Vikings president] Mark Wilf made it very clear yesterday. ... Last year was a complicated year, at various levels, but once Adrian gets all of his items resolved with the NFL, is free to play again and rejoin our franchise, I think it's good for Adrian. It'd be good for us, it'd be good for all the Vikings fans, it'd be good for our community and it'd be good for the NFL.

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Warren's comments caused many eyebrows to go up—and with good reason. Back in November, Peterson told Tom Pelissero of USA Today that he felt there were those in the organization who didn't want him back on the team:

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I would love to go back and play in Minnesota to get a feel and just see if my family still feels comfortable there. But if there's word out that hey, they might release me, then so be it. I would feel good knowing that I've given everything I had in me. …

I know who loves me. The coaches and the players, it's not going to be a problem. I've felt so much support from those guys. The organization, I know there's people in the organization that support me and there's people that I know internally that has not been supporting me.

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According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, that latter group included Warren, who worked with the NFL to keep Peterson off the field for the entirety of the 2014 season. Warren has not denied Schefter's report, and that contributed to the belief that the relationship between Peterson and Vikings ownership had frozen over like a Minnesota pond in December.

Or November. Or sometimes September. There was that one June, too.

It now appears that either the waters weren't as cold as we thought, or spring has come early in Minnesota. Either way, Goessling sees management's comments over the past few days as a significant development in Peterson's possible return:

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After remaining largely mum on the issue during the regular season, the Vikings are cranking up their efforts to reach out to him now. No one in the organization has addressed the issue of Peterson's contract -- he's scheduled to count $15.4 million against the cap in 2015 -- and the Vikings could merely be trying to put on a brave face for fans, in the event that they do part ways before next season. But for an organization that said precious little about Peterson during the 2014 season, the shift is noticeable.

It's possible the Vikings wanted to stay tight-lipped about Peterson during the season so they could keep the focus on the players they had; Peterson's court case wasn't resolved until Nov. 4, and his status for the 2014 season wasn't ultimately decided until Dec. 12. But in the process of keeping quiet on the subject, the Vikings ran the risk of appearing as though they were trying to distance themselves from their franchise player. Perhaps that's exactly what they were trying to do, at least while the season was playing out and the risk of sponsor backlash from a Peterson return was at its highest.

Now, the tenor of the issue seems to have shifted. The majority of fans in Minnesota seem to want him back and Peterson has expressed regret over his actions in a pair of extensive interviews (including one with ESPN in December). There's little question the Vikings' relationship with Peterson turned frosty during the season; they are trying their best to thaw it now.

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That thaw is the best thing that could happen both for Peterson and the Vikings.

It was lost somewhat in the firestorm of controversy surrounding Peterson, but the Vikes appear to have gotten the best of both the first-year quarterback and first-year head coach markets last year. Both Teddy Bridgewater and Mike Zimmer showed real promise during the Vikings' 7-9 season.

Now imagine what Zimmer and Bridgewater could do with a run game that was better than middle of the pack, with Peterson as the lead back and Jerick McKinnon in a change-of-pace role.

Trading Peterson might get the Vikings a Day 3 pick in the draft. Releasing Peterson outright would get them nothing but cap space.

It's hard to see either making the Vikings a better football team in 2015.

Peterson, on the other hand, needs to get over any hard feelings regarding a perceived lack of loyalty from the Vikings. This was a disaster of his own making. No one nuked Peterson's reputation but Peterson.

Of late, the 29-year-old has been doing and saying the right things. As Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports, Peterson has been undergoing four months of counseling and parenting supervision in Hennepin County, Minnesota.

As the eight-year veteran puts his public image back together, trying to force his way out of Minnesota won't do much to help curry favor in the court of public opinion. It also won't make it any easier for other teams to justify signing him when the angry tweets start pouring in.

Or the complaints to sponsors.

Never mind that if Peterson takes a hard-line stance with the Vikings but loses his appeal in court, he could find himself a 30-year-old running back with no team who isn't reinstated until a month after free agency opens.

This isn't to say there aren't obstacles to overcome. Peterson still has to be reinstated by the league (he's eligible to return April 15, barring a victory in court). Once that happens, the Vikings may well want Peterson to redo his contract.

However, if both sides are sincere about a reunion, those obstacles should be surmountable.

And whether it's a team that would surely benefit from the return of its best offensive player or a player who desperately needs to just get back to playing football, that reunion makes a ton of sense.

Gary Davenport is an NFL Analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPManor.