Adrian Peterson Says It’s Still Possible He Plays In Week 17

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson tells Josina Anderson that he’s sitting out of today’s game due to an adductor strain and not because of a knee injury, which had been previously reported.

According to Anderson, Peterson believes he could still to play in their Week 17 matchup against the Bears. Peterson added that his adductor strain could benefit from some more rest before the end of the season, but he’ll see how he’s feeling next week.

Yesterday, Bob Holtzman of ESPN reported Peterson is “very likely” to sit out of the team’s Week 17 game as well and it’s possible that we may have seen the last of Peterson in a Vikings’ jersey.

Minnesota officially designated Peterson as their player to return from injured reserve a few weeks ago and had him active for last weekend’s game against the Colts. However, he clearly wasn’t at full strength.

There’s really no point in running him out there if he can’t contribute at a high level, as the Vikings would risk him getting injured when he’ll be entering the final year of his contract next year.

Peterson figures to be a popular topic in the coming months, considering the money he’s owed and the fact that he’s getting up there in years.

Peterson, 31, is a former first-round pick of the Vikings back in 2007. He’s currently in the second year of his three-year, $44 million contract that included $20 million guaranteed and stands to make a base salary of $7.75 million for the 2016 season.

The Vikings will owe Peterson a base salary of $11.75 million in 2017 to go along with a $6 million roster bonus that’s due in March.

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.