The Vikings plan to make a decision on Adrian Peterson‘s roster status on Monday, general manager Rick Spielman told Sal Paolantonio of ESPN (Twitter link via Palantonio’s colleague, Kevin Seifert). Following Peterson’s indictment for child abuse, Minnesota will not make a “knee-jerk decision,” per Spielman, but “all options are on the table” (link).
Peterson will not play in today’s game against the Patriots after the Vikings chose to deactivate him. But as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes, the new CBA restricts a team from continuing to deactivate a player for an ongoing period of time. Minnesota, then, has three options regarding its star running back: keep him on the roster; allow him to be present at the team’s facility and practices, but deactivate him on gamedays; or suspend him without pay.
Sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that Peterson’s deactivation will likely last for longer than just Week 2. La Canfora reports that the NFL is not likely to take action against Peterson any time soon, even in the wake of the Ray Rice incident. Instead, the Vikings will continue to act proactively against Peterson, lessening the need for league intervention.
Peterson’s indictment could have ramifications that go beyond the current season, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. While Peterson is obviously still talented, he is 29 years old, plays a devalued position, and is owed more than $43MM in base salary over the next three years. This incident could make it viable for the Vikings to release Peterson, a move that would have seemed highly unlikely just last week. But with this ugly episode hanging over Peterson’s head, Minnesota could cut him, and only see $2.4MM in dead money.