When Florio put together a checklist of things the Vikings will be doing in the next few days, he didn’t include giving running back Adrian Peterson among the items.
That might have been an oversight because it is something that would work out well for both teams. Peterson is entering the last year of his rookie deal and would like to establish some long-term job security with the franchise. The Vikings are over the cap and giving Peterson a new deal would allow them to shave a few millions off his current $12.775 million cap number.
According to Leslie Frazier, the team and player will have plenty of time to discuss such matters during training camp at Mankato. The coach spoke to Peterson Monday and got assurances that there would be no holdout as part of a bid to get the new deal done.
“Oh yeah, we had a good conversation,” Frazier said. “And that’s not an issue, and he’s looking forward to camp like all of our guys are.”
Peterson’s decision should make the Vikings breathe a little easier as they start the process of filling out their roster for the 2011 season. They have needs all over the field and will need to try to either retain or replace big free agents like Ray Edwards and Sidney Rice this week. A Peterson holdout would likely be one more thing on a plate that’s already overflowing.
That said, getting a new contract done ASAP would give them more financial flexibility as they make their way into the market so it is something that should be on the radar. With Peterson arriving on Sunday, the Vikings should be able to get that deal done in enough time to strengthen the rest of the roster this season.