The Minnesota Vikings saw the return of running back Adrian Peterson on Tuesday, ending months of speculation and a contentious media back-and-forth between Peterson's agent Ben Dogra and the Vikings brass.
Now that fences have been mended and Peterson has accepted his fate as a member of the NFL's Minnesota franchise, will the Vikings finally offer their offensive "centerpiece" that financial guarantee he was said to so desperately be seeking in recent days?
"...it stands to reason that there is one more development left on the table," writes Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. "Much has been made that Peterson reported to the Vikings without his contract having been reworked. Which means one of his primary issues - maybe the only issue that ever truly mattered - still hasn't been resolved. At this very moment, he still stands the risk of losing the last few years of his earning power if he suffers an injury in 2015."
As Robinson notes, while Peterson's 2015 salary of $12.75 million is guaranteed once Week One rolls around, any injury prior to that leaves the future Hall of Famer in a prone position.
None of the money on Peterson's current deal is guaranteed thereafter either.
In short, if Peterson is as integral a part of the future for the Vikings as Minnesota GM Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer's offseason rhetoric and recent moves would indicate - and considering the fact that they have a young, potential franchise quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater desperately in need of another dimension added to the offense to take pressure off him as he develops - it's not that surprising that Peterson would then like to see some of his future contract dollars become guaranteed
"If that's correct, then there is still one last bit of work to be done. And everyone - from fans to the Vikings to the media - knows that figuring out a compromise on Peterson's contract is the surest route to making sure this doesn't happen again in eight months," writes Robinson. "For now, Minnesota has its running back under its roof again. He's working out with teammates, meeting with coaches and taking his step forward. Expect the Vikings to follow suit and lock in some contract guarantees in the coming days."
Peterson's 2016 base salary is currently $15 million; if he and the team can come together on a restructuring, it could potentially mutually benefit both parties, pushing his salary down and creating more cap space for the Vikings while simultaneously guaranteeing more years and more dollars for Peterson.
