http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-vikin ... s-feasible
Prescient to say the least.
Some highlights:
Peterson's cap hits under his current contract:When the Minnesota Vikings talked earlier this spring about getting Adrian Peterson more involved in the passing game and reducing the toll on his body by converting some of his carries to receptions, it was fair -- if a bit cynical -- to wonder if they were beginning the process of divesting themselves from the 2012 NFL MVP.
That's why it's worth spending a bit of time on what Mike Freeman (formerly of CBSSports.com and now of Bleacher Report) wrote on Sunday, when he said that "the Vikings are looking for ways to part with superstar runner Adrian Peterson sooner rather than later," and quoted an AFC general manager who believes the 2014 season will be Peterson's last in Minnesota.
Peterson will make $12 million this season, counting his $250,000 workout bonus, and he's due to be paid $44 million in the last three years of his deal -- though the Vikings would face just a $2.4 million cap hit if they cut him after this season and no penalty if they released him after 2015. When the Vikings signed Peterson to his $100 million contract extension in 2011, they structured it for precisely the scenario we're discussing here.
2015: $15.0M
2016: $15.4M
2017: $17.0M
Too much for a RB turning 30 next year. And now with all this baggage ... not a chance.
The Wilfs are probably thinking that at least this happened AFTER they got the state to pony up half the money for the new stadium. But they're also going to recognize the political realities of having the face of the franchise associated with child abuse. It's not going to happen. Peterson's days as a Viking are done. He is toast.
I have to believe that Spielman and the Wilfs will keep Peterson inactive until Goodell lowers the hammer. This is tee-ed up for Goodell and I expect him to make like John Daly and grip it and rip it. He almost has no choice in wake of the Ray Rice fallout. I'm thinking 8 games minimum. This isn't like the Ray McDonald case where they are waiting for the legal process to conclude guilt or innocence. There's no photos in the McDonald incident (well at least none that have been leaked for public consumption) and unlike McDonald, Peterson has admitted to doing this.