Without a trade happening right before or during the NFL Draft 2015 , many were under the assumption that running back Adrian Peterson would not be traded this season. Well, the time is coming up for Organized Team Activities (OTAs), and Peterson is planning on skipping the Minnesota Vikings’ workouts which has rumors of him being traded ( Dallas Cowboys ?) heating up again.
According to Yahoo Sports , Peterson skipping OTAs for Minnesota will be his attempt at sending an “unmistakable message to the franchise. He wants to be traded.”
Apparently, a source close to Peterson’s inner circle said on Sunday night that Peterson has not wavered privately about his wish to be play elsewhere with another team. During face-to-face meetings with team officials, Peterson has already made this clear to Minnesota.
OTAs for the Vikings begin on Tuesday, and the Pioneer Press first reported that Peterson planned on skipping them . He isn’t required to attend them as a veteran, but his absence is really more to send a message to the Vikings than anything.
Showing just how serious Peterson is, the source (a close friend of the RB) says that he plans on sitting out all of the offseason workouts for the Vikings. If he does that, he’d give up a $250,000 bonus owed to him.
As of now, Peterson has not yet decided if he will skip mandatory minicamp set for June 16-18 or training camp set to begin in July. If he’s willing to lose a $250,000 workout bonus, it’s obvious that he may not mind fines for missing mandatory activities either.
Earlier this week, Vikings head coach Adrian Zimmer said he had an “indication” of when Adrian Peterson would return to the team, but says it’s on him.
“It’s up to Adrian, really,” Zimmer said. “He’s the guy you should ask… We’d like all our players here. It’s the voluntary time of year right now and it’s his decision in what he wants to do.”
Now, the rumors are swirling about where he could end up going if the Vikings end up giving in and deciding to trade Adrian Peterson away. It could be the Arizona Cardinals , or Oakland Raiders , or the Dallas Cowboys , or any team willing to take a chance on acquiring him.
The Dallas Cowboys have never come right out and said they want to trade for Adrian Peterson, but by NFL rules, they can’t. Still, they’ve dropped enough hints and Jerry Jones has made it obviously clear that the team is wanting a better back.
Still, the Cowboy have Darren McFadden ready to be their starting running back in 2015, but the team has been rumored to be looking at Peterson, Matt Forte , Ray Rice , and others.
The Minnesota Vikings put their foot down when they didn’t trade Adrian Peterson around the draft. Still, that didn’t change the fact that the running back wants to be traded and wants to play elsewhere. The Dallas Cowboys would love to have him and he’s even said he’d love to play there too , but now the real fun and rumors begin.
[Image via Vibe]