Free falling: Peterson a free agent after 10 years with Minnesota Vikings.
MINNEAPOLIS — Adrian Peterson, Minnesota’s all-time leading rusher and a first-team All-Pro pick in four of his 10 seasons with the Vikings, will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career when the market opens next week.
The Vikings as expected said Tuesday they will not exercise their option for 2017 on Peterson’s contract, which called for him to make $18 million. That would have been an unwieldly hit to their salary cap and by far the highest figure in the NFL for a running back. Pittsburgh’s decision to place the franchise tag on Le’Veon Bell will likely mean a $12 million-plus salary for the 25-year-old, but nobody else at the position in the league is even close.
The Vikings left the door open for Peterson to return to the team that drafted him in 2007 with the seventh overall pick, only at a much lower price. The fact that they announced their decision nine days before the deadline was an indication that little dialogue about a new deal has taken place to date. General manager Rick Spielman told reporters last week that he had not yet spoken at that point to Peterson or his agents about the future.
“Adrian is an important part of the Minnesota Vikings organization,” Spielman said Tuesday. “We will continue to have conversations with his representatives and leave our future options open while determining what is best for both parties moving forward.”
“My main goal remains the same: to win a Super Bowl championship with a great team, which I also believe we have in Minnesota,” Peterson said.
Peterson, who turns 32 in three weeks, is coming off a meniscus tear in his right knee that limited him to 72 yards on 37 carries over parts of three games in 2016. He suited up only once in 2014 because of the child abuse case he was involved in. Even with the league-leading 1,485 yards he rushed for in 2015 and factoring in his receiving totals, Peterson has cost the Vikings about $18,000 per yard over the last three years. He also has limited passing-game skills that the majority of standout running backs in the league possess, with little experience running out of the shotgun or pistol formations that most teams favor in the current pass-heavy NFL.
In another sobering reminder of the short shelf life for players at this position, Kansas City also released 30-year-old and four-time Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles on Tuesday. Charles is eighth on the active career rushing list; Peterson is second behind Frank Gore.