Adrian Peterson Comments on Vikings Contract, Treatment of NFL Players

The ongoing saga between the Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson took another turn Thursday, as the Pro Bowl running expressed his frustration with NFL contract structures and ostensibly his own deal in Minnesota via Twitter.

Peterson bemoaned the one-sided nature of NFL contracts, which he says do not offer the same freedom to players as they do to teams:

Peterson later provided clarification on his rant:

"

To clarify, since analysts & everyone else have the answers to what place in MY Heart this "rant" came from. This is not against the Vikings. I am just frustrated that our union did not get guaranteed contracts for its players. NFL players deserve guaranteed contacts like Our NBA and MLB brothers. Owners have the right to release players, at will, without honoring their contracts. However, players do not have the luxury of saying that they want out of their contract. And I won't even get into the franchise tag convo.

"

Peterson's stream of consciousness comes after he skipped organized team activities this week amid ongoing strife with the Vikings. It's been widely reported for months that Peterson wants out of Minnesota, citing the organization's lack of support during his child-abuse case last year.   

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Peterson played just one game last season because the team placed him on the commissioner's exempt list and then suspended him for a situation involving his four-year-old son.

The relations between the player and team since Peterson's reinstatement has devolved into an ongoing back-and-forth, often in the public specter. The Vikings have consistently maintained they would not trade or release Peterson, a stance echoed by head coach Mike Zimmer earlier this week.

“Adrian, he’s really got two choices," Zimmer said, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “He can either play for us or he can not play. He’s not going to play for anybody else. That’s just the way it’s going to be.’’

Peterson, who responded to Zimmer's quote by telling ESPN's Josina Anderson that his absence was about "securing [his] future" with the Vikings, seemingly had a change of heart a day later:

The Vikings are scheduled to pay Peterson $12.75 million in base salary next season. By all accounts, they plan on paying him—happy or not. Peterson may have a point about the general structure of NFL contracts, but it appears the only person not honoring his agreement this time is him.

The Monday Morning Quarterback's Andrew Brandt weighed in on the situation:

This saga has seen many twists and turns, so odds are this is far from the last we'll hear from Peterson or the Vikings. But, at this point, nothing appears to be changing. The more pointed quotes are tossed back and forth between both sides, the worse their seemingly inevitable working relationship will be in 2015.

Perhaps it's best if Peterson and the Vikings take this out of the public eye and back behind closed doors.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.