The lobbying effort to keep Adrian Peterson in Minnesota has begun, and it appears the Vikings running back is willing to be flexible in terms of how much he’ll make next year.
Via ESPN, Peterson’s father Nelson Peterson said he hopes his son gets to wrap up his career where it started.
“Finishing your career in one place [has value],” the father said. “I look at how Arizona treated Larry [Fitzgerald], how they are taking care of guys who have been there.”
Fitzgerald may have given the Cardinals a bit of a break in his last extension, and played for $11 million last year. He responded with a league-high 107 receptions.
Peterson’s under contract for $18 million this year, including a $6 million roster bonus due March 11. The degree to which he’s prepared to bend off those obviously inflated numbers may determine how willing they are to keep him, if they don’t want to release him.
Peterson’s 31, and because of injuries and suspension, he’s had one good season and two lost ones in his last three. He led the Vikings to the playoffs in 2015 with 1,485 rushing yards, but was averaging just 1.9 yards a carry last year before he got hurt.
