Apparently AP is Asking for $8 Million a Year…
Joe Johnson
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According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, former Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has his 2017 asking price set at over $8 million dollars a season, which explains, at least in part, the lack of interest in the former All-Pro running back from the rest of the league. While that’s less than half of what he would’ve received as a Viking in 2017, had they picked up his $18 million dollar option, it’s still a lot to ask for a 32 year old running back who is coming off of knee surgery. If you’re anyone but Adrian, that is.
It was also reported by Fowler that the Packers were mulling a meeting with Peterson, as they need a running back now that Eddie Lacy has signed with the Seattle Seahawks (For a total of $5.5 million, if he meets all of his weight requirements). They may still meet with Peterson, but are reportedly waiting until after the draft to do so. So, the question remains, will Peterson end up getting signed anywhere?
Sure, if he can lower his price, but that may come too late. Despite what Peterson may think, the market for his style of running isn’t universal and the teams that are looking for a two down power back that commands 20-25 carries a game may have already signed other backs by now. The Vikings and Seahawks have Latavius Murray and the aforementioned Lacy, whose contracts combined essentially add up to what Peterson is asking. So, Peterson may need to drop his asking price soon, or he’ll end up as a gadget player on a contender or out of the league completely.
I always figured that Peterson would go the contender route, with the Patriots being a logical choice especially with LeGarrette Blount remaining unsigned as of the writing of this piece. I figured that if he had to take a pay cut, he’d go to a team that had a great shot at winning a championship, so we will see what happens now that Peterson’s contract demands are seemingly out in the open. The next step very well may be the contender step, which would be fine by me as long as it keeps him distracted from the revenge step. Although, with the Packers planning to meet with him after the draft, that very well could be in the cards.