A judge may have reversed the NFL's decision regarding the season-ending suspension handed out to Adrian Peterson (a ruling that the NFL plans to appeal, of course), but that doesn't mean AP's NFL future is any less murky. Conflicting reports about his relationship with the Vikings have emerged, with some rumors suggesting he wants out of Minnesota and others reporting that he wants to stay.
If Peterson is reinstated to the NFL for the 2015 season, where will he end up playing?
"The universe of teams for Adrian Peterson, barring something unexpected (e.g. Marshawn retiring): Vikings, Cowboys, Cardinals, Colts," Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com tweeted.
Each team makes a certain amount of sense.
The Vikings drafted Peterson and he won an MVP award there. Overall, Peterson would probably want to figure out some way to stay where he has always been, even though the tension between the two sides is palpable.
The Cowboys have long been rumored to be big fans of Peterson's and vice versa. AP grew up in Texas, and Jerry Jones is probably salivating at the juicy opportunity to land All Day. It would be a headlines dominator, for sure, and would likely mean he wouldn't have to pay DeMarco Murray.
The Cardinals would be contenders if they had better injury luck. Carson Palmer is returning from a second torn ACL, and the defense was riddled with injuries last season. If everyone is healthy, this becomes a very attractive destination. Adding Peterson would allow fellow running back Andre Ellington to return to the complimentary role in which he excelled as a rookie.
The Colts have a desperate need for a competent runner. They also have mountains of salary cap space Smaug-style. Peterson coupled with Andrew Luck could be too potent of a combo for any team in the entire league to defend.
So where will Peterson ultimately end up? We'll just have to wait and see unfortunately.
