Adrian Peterson Intrigued By Raiders, Buccaneers & Giants, Return To MIN Still An Option

Update:

Two sources tell Jeremy Fowler of ESPN (per Jenna Laine) that the Buccaneers are not expected to aggressively pursue Adrian Peterson at this point.

According to Fowler, things could change, but as of now, Tampa Bay has plans for Doug Martin and met with him last week.

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Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reports that RB Adrian Peterson has been doing casual research on potential NFL destinations for a few weeks now and is intrigued about possibly joining the Raiders, Buccaneers or Giants.

Robinson says that Peterson hasn’t closed the door on re-signing with the Vikings. However, Robinson doesn’t expect the Vikings to make Peterson an offer prior to free agency and admits they may not make him an offer at all.

Even so, Robinson mentions that Peterson will be looking for a starting job and an incentivized contract that gives him at least an opportunity to be paid as one of the best running backs in the game based on his production.

A source tells Robinson that Peterson could wait until late March to sign with a team, as he plans to be patient with the process.

Giants HC Ben McAdoo told reporters at the Scouting Combine on Wednesday (per Ralph Vacchiano) that they will “take a look” at Peterson. However, McAdoo wouldn’t commit to any real interest beyond that.

Vikings announced Tuesday that they will not exercise Peterson’s 2017 option, which means he will become an unrestricted free agent next week.

“Adrian is an important part of the Minnesota Vikings organization,” said Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman. “We will continue to have conversations with his representatives and leave our future options open while determining what is best for both parties moving forward.”

It was clear that the Vikings weren’t going to keep him at his current price, but there was at least some hope that they could reach an agreement on a reduced salary that would allow him to be back in Minnesota next year.

Peterson, 31, is a former first-round pick of the Vikings back in 2007. He was entering the final year of his three-year, $44 million contract that included $20 million guaranteed and was set to make a base salary of $11.75 million to go along with a $6 million roster bonus due on March 11.

In 2016, Peterson has rushed for 72 yards on 37 carries (1.9 YPC) to go along with three receptions for eight yards receiving and no touchdowns over the course of three games.

We have him featured in our Top 100 – 2017 Free Agents list.