Vikings general manager Rick Spielman can't think of an NFL franchise that wouldn't want Adrian Peterson.
Spielman was reinforcing the comments of his coach, Mike Zimmer, who said the Vikings would like the suspended running back to return to the team in 2015.
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“I don’t know if there’s a team in the NFL that wouldn’t want Adrian Peterson on the football team,” Spielman told reporters Wednesday at the team's facility in Eden Prairie, Minn. “If you can name me one. And I don’t want to speak for other teams. I’m being a little sarcastic with that. But I know he’s a pretty good football player.”
Peterson played in the 2014 season opener, then was deactivated amid child abuse allegations. He was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, then was suspended after pleading no contest to the charges in Texas. He is eligible to be reinstated by the league on April 15.
“I’ve known Adrian his whole career and what type of person Adrian is. But I also know that we have to follow everything that’s put in place for us. Is there a resolution? Not right now,” Spielman said. “All I know is where we stand today. Does that change? I’m sure it’s going to change. Until those things change and get resolved, right now we have Adrian Peterson, who is under contract for next year, who is currently suspended by the NFL. That’s pretty much all I can go into right now.”
Peterson's contract also bears some attention. The almost-30-year-old holds a cap number of $15.4 million in 2015. Spielman declined to comment on whether the Vikings can even afford Peterson.
“I’m not going to get into anything from a business-related standpoint with not only his, but any player’s, contract,” Spielman said. “That’s stuff that we’ve always handled internally. I will always keep the business side of players' contracts internal.”
The Vikings finished 7-9 and third in NFC North this season. Minnesota missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year.