Photo Credit: Andy Clayton King/Getty Images
Adrian Peterson morphed from his position as running back Thursday night, taking on the role of a tackle aimed directly at critics and contracts alike. The 30-year-old veteran took to social media to express his frustrations against the one-sided nature of league agreements in a series of emotional tweets.
Although the rant begin with a question posed to fans and followers, “…is a contract two sided or one?” it became clear the former MVP already had his answer.
Skepticism of ever seeing Peterson suit up in purple and gold again continued to stir this week as the franchise running back elected to opt out of the Vikings’ organized team activities (OTAs). Until a few days ago, Peterson remained fairly quiet when it came to talks about his future in the Twin Cities. To defend against murmurs stating his non-participation in OTAs was his approach at strong-holding a trade, he released this statement on Wednesday:
“The reason I’m not attending OTAs has nothing to do with wanting to be traded. It’s about securing my future with the Vikings. It’s business, not personal and I understand that firsthand. Go Vikings.”
Coach Mike Zimmer had his own take on the situation: “He’s really got two choices. He can either play for us or he cannot play.”
Zimmer’s statement touts the hold that the Vikings have over Peterson, a contractual binding that is at the core of Peterson’s Twitter monologue. Unfortunately for Peterson, the ball is not in the familiar spot safely and securely under his arm; rather, it is completely in the court of the team that bore his name on its roster since 2007.
Peterson has three years and roughly $45 million left in his current deal but it is not guaranteed. For the highest paid running back in the league, to echo the words of Coach Zimmer, this scenario does not leave many options for the six-time Pro Bowler: he either attends minicamp on June 16 or he calls it an early retirement. The latter move is unlikely though as it would mean Peterson walks away at the potential prime of his career and leaves all that money he’s fighting for so hard at the moment on the table.
Only time, and apparently Twitter, will tell.
