On Monday, it was reported that Adrian Peterson's agent, Ben Dogra, got into a heated exchange with executives from the Minnesota Vikings at the NFL combine and even had to be separated. Dogra reportedly claimed that Peterson would never play for Minnesota again. Although Dogra and Vikings officials were seen talking cordially after the combine, there appears to be no love lost between the two sides overall.
However, Nelson Peterson, Adrian's father, said that's not the case. While Nelson was unaware of the spat between Dogra and Vikings vice president of football of Rob Brzezinski, he remained hopeful that his son and the team could work it out.
"He is open to returning to the Vikings," Nelson Peterson said to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. "He hasn't closed the door on say, 'I won't play for the Vikings.' He hasn't demanded a trade."
Nelson went on to say that last week's report claiming that Peterson had demanded a trade to the Dallas Cowboys was not true. Regardless of the he said-she said element of this apparent controversy, it's clear that Peterson and the Vikings are not on the same page at the moment.
"Nelson Peterson said one of the reasons the running back is wary about a possible return to the Vikings is a belief by he and his son that [Kevin] Warren worked against having Peterson play last season," Tomasson explained. "Warren recently was promoted [to chief operating officer] by the Vikings."
Whether Peterson returns to the Vikings at this point is anyone's guess. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggested a possible solution. He argued that if the Vikings were to guarantee a portion of Peterson's salary over the next two seasons - he is scheduled to make $12.75 million in 2015 and $14.75 million in 2016 - it could be seen as a sign of good faith and help ease the escalating tensions.
Peterson is eligible for reinstatement April 15. He appeared in just one game last season before being placed on the NFL's exempt list and then suspended for the remainder of the season. Peterson's last period of extended playing time was the 2013 season that saw him rush for 1,266 yards and 10 touchdowns on a 4.5 yards-per-carry average in 14 games.
