Adrian Peterson Says He Won’t Return If Vikings Eliminated From Playoffs

According to Darren Wolfson, Vikings RB Adrian Peterson mentioned Wednesday that he won’t return this year if Minnesota is eliminated from playoff contention.

Peterson did, however, say that he’s close to returning from a torn meniscus he suffered early on in the season.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk recently reported that while Peterson continues to work hard in an effort to return this season, it’s unclear whether he’ll make it back this season.

Another consideration could be whether it’s even worth for Peterson to play this year, considering that he could jeopardize his future earnings by playing in potentially meaningless games when he’ll be entering the final year of his contract in 2017.

Peterson ultimately decided to repair his lateral meniscus, which left him with a three- to six-month timetable. Had he trimmed his meniscus, he could have returned in two or three weeks.

It’s hard to blame Peterson for not wanting to risk further injury when he’ll be entering the final year of his contract and have plenty to prove.

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.

In 2016, Peterson has rushed for 50 yards on 31 carries (1.6 YPC) to go along with two receptions for seven yards receiving and no touchdowns.

We’ll have more regarding Peterson as the news the news is available.