As the NFL trade deadline of Oct. 29 rapidly approaches, many names have been placed through the rumor mill. One of the most popular names creeping up belongs to the Minnesota Vikings--in the form of running back Adrian Peterson.
ESPN speculated following Week 7's Monday Night Football debacle between the Vikings and the New York Giants, that perhaps the teams could make a swap to try and salvage their futures now that the 2013 season is likely in the rear-view mirror for both as far as playoffs are concerned. The Giants (1-6) topped the Vikings (2-4) 23-7 in a snooze fest of a game last Monday, and ESPN's analysts said that the Giants should tap Peterson to aid their run game while Minnesota should try and part ways with him to ensure their future depth.
ESPN's Greg Garber writes:
"Since this season is already lost for the Giants, there's no need to tax Peterson with a heavy workload. Think about aiming at next year and the wonderful draft possibilities for a horrific team."
While this is all just speculation, it could possibly end up coming to fruition by the deadline on the 29th. While the Giants could very well be a possible landing spot if the Vikings choose to implement a trade for Peterson, there's another NFC East team that may also potentially be interested in acquiring the running back as the Dallas Cowboys (4-3) are a possible suitor for him, according to Yahoo! Sports.
The Cowboys could be looking for some insurance as running back DeMarco Murray recovers from injury but still may be able to go Sunday, and they could try to find one in Peterson, who had an explosive season in 2012 following a repair of a torn ACL in 2011, where he nearly broke the league's rushing record.
Yahoo! Sports reports that this type of a deal is probably unlikely due to the Cowboys cap issues. According to the site, Minnesota would have to eat at least 70% of the money owed to Peterson this season and a large chunk of his contract moving forward, including his $7.2 million signing bonus.
Peterson, 28, is from Dallas, but with so many obstacles in the way of the trade, a homecoming will more than likely not come to fruition.
Peterson recently had to deal with the death of his son as Joseph Robert Patterson, 27, of Oklahoma is accused of allegedly beating Peterson's son, Tyrese Robert Ruffin, to death.
Peterson may end up not being moved at all at the deadline, as a team would have to be willing to take on a large amount of money in the deal for a player that--while explosive--is almost 30 and has already recovered from a debilitating injury.
This season, Peterson has rushed for 511 yards on 115 carries with five touchdowns through six games, but whether or not he dons another team's uniform before the deadline remains to be seen.
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