Did Someone Really Just Suggest That The Vikings Trade Adrian Peterson?

Say, for some reason that Peterson was traded and the Vikings received two first round picks. For the trade to be a win for the Vikings one of those picks has to turn into a HOF type perennial pro-bowler and the other would have to be at least a quality starter/fringe pro-bowler. That means that both picks would have to be not only good picks but great picks. The odds of picking two first rounders in a single year that are of that quality are pretty low. Yes, they could improve two positions but at the cost of downgrading one significantly. At best it would be taking two small steps forward and one big step backwards. Don’t see it happening and think it would be a rather large risk to take.

Nailed it Chris, nothing more to say.

equals PR disaster.
Vikings won’t even give it a thought

Only way is if Peterson seriously breaksdown next year but I don’t see that happening nor do I see them trading away Peterson. You don’t trade away the face of your franchise. You also don’t trade away a talent like Peterson. Who is to even say trading away Peterson will even equal making our team a success and “fixing” it? We could draft busts with any pick given and ultimately would’ve given away a once in a lifetime sort of talent. I don’t see that happening.

Plus no CBA means no player trades. We would at a minimum be trading him away for the 2012 draft and later.

after 5 years of chilly and company, we are riddled with roster problems and have more problems to deal with on the horizon. it is never wrong to point those out and offer some bold ideas. you may not like the idea, but i don’t see you offering any solutions, just slinging darts out of insecurity that the article may have validity.

the problem i have with your rant here and your previous article (which attempts to make the vikings look like kings of the draft), is that you sweep reality under the rug for “feel-good” statements. “ain’t gonna happen. arrr, arrr, arrr”, doesn’t address the fact that AP still runs up the backside of those fat-fock-n-o-lineman who can’t open any holes for him, much less give the qb any time to throw. or the fact that he is costing us $10.7M this year (in the last year of his contract), and that this team doesn’t know how to utilize his talent.

the article mentions several of the major problems our team and roster currently have that all should be addressed somehow. the author points out one big ticket trade idea with a few different variations. bravo for him. i think that type of move could certainly benefit the team and help to finally put this organization on track for sustained success. what this organization lacks is vision, and a method of building toward that vision.

chilly, speilman and company were short sighted in their approach to personnel and organization building, imo. they are a far cry from new england and belichick, and even the likes of baltimore, the jets, pittsburgh, and even the puckers.

let’s not forget the other elephant contract in the room….jared allen. he’s gonna cost us $9M this year, $11.6M next year, and $14.2M the year after that. that makes bernard berrian’s stupid contract look like peanuts and bud light piss water.

the article points out how the vikes haven’t exact;y been replenishing a few minor units on the team, like….qb, the o-line, the d-backs and the d-line. good thing we have camarillo to anchor that wr corps tho.

“see ya later sidney and ray-ray….yo, adrian, we want you to carry the ball 500 times this year, now don’t fumble, and just remember, there are only 9 men in the box against our 7…..and we’ve got bryant mckinnie….and he said he worked out this offseason”. <<< end sarcasm (genius).

I don’t like it but this team is in complete rebuild mode. If you get enough I would do it, Also get rid of MT Mick, Berian and a few DB’s that suck and start over. AP is the best RB in football and we will get alot for him (the slave) . He had his chance in the title game to get us to the big one and fumbled it away, Trade if you get a super trade if not keep him. Trade only to a AFC team please

As Chris pointed out, I think personally the Minnesota Vikings are the team that need Adrian Peterson the most. Could we get a first rounder from some other team for him? Absolutely, I’m sure we could get a number of teams to agree to that. But could we get multiple first round and other high rounds picks? Now we’re pushing it. At minimum, to trade away a face-of-the-franchise, bedrock-of-the-offense guy like AP, take the risk of a horrific ‘11 AND ’12 (face it, that kind of loss will take two years minimum to get over) as well as the subsequent PR disaster (I would be ticked at the Vikings, that’s for sure), I want a first-rounder in ‘12 (we won’t have time to get any draft picks for this year, I’ll acept that), ‘13, AND ’14, a second rounder in ’12 and ’13, and a third rounder in ’12, plus a few fourth rounders in there somewhere. Oh, and a couple of serviceable guys somewhere around the secondary and O-line. Nobody;’s making that trade; nor should they. We’re the only team, again, in the NFL who would value him that highly.

The second problem with this idea that I have read is that ‘teams don’t win Super Bowls with RBs anymore’. Yeah, well- there are ALWAYS exceptions, and Peterson’s the kind of player to create such exceptions. You need a QB to win a Super Bowl, right? Go as the Ravens and the Bucs what they think about that. Well, they had solid defenses, and that’s what wins championships, right? Well… go ask the ’06 Colts and Bears how that whole theory worked out. With exceptional players again come exceptions to rules- and I challenge anyone to say that AP is not the kind of truly exceptional player that can create that situation.

He did some good research and brought up some troubling stats that many fans consistently chalk up to players being injured or the scheme or something else like players being in the wrong position (Loadholt to guard, Winfield to safety, etc) .

Here is some of what the original post stated …

Winfield is the only employable defensive back on the roster after Cedric Griffin suffered two knee injuries in the 2010 calendar year

The offensive line hasn’t finished in the Top 10 in Adjusted Line Yards in years, and the pass protection is even worse.

Some franchises believe securing players to match up against division foes is a path to relevancy. The Texans drafted Mario Williams to pressure Peyton Manning. Rex Ryan invested in defensive backs to slow down the New England Patriots. Where does this lead Minnesota? The secondary. All three division teams pose problems for the Purple’s defensive backs. The NFC North will have Calvin Johnson, Greg Jennings, and Mike Martz’s pass happy offense for years to come. The Vikings ranked 16th in the league last year against No. 1 wide receivers, and that was the highlight. They were crushed by No. 2 receivers (25th) and beat even worse by “other” receivers (27th).

This is why I have been on the Jimmy Smith bandwagon lately. If the Vikings do not go QB in the first round then I think a CB may be the best selection. I know that offensive line is a huge concern and the left side only has a year or two left of adequate play IMO. I just feel that a player like Smith or Amukamara could step right in and start.

But I digress.

The thought of trading AP is sacrilege to most Vikings fans and is understandable. But if the Vikings will not relevant for the next two or three years then AP will be almost 29 by then with plenty of carries.

I personally believe that they would get two first or a first and second and solid player.

But Chris makes some good counter points too especially the PR point. I think of it more as putting fannies in the seats. That is real and money in the bank. I do not think it has any bearing on the stadium because the team was pretty good in 2008 & 2009. I think the fine people of Minnesota may ultimately be too well grounded to be able to reconcile cutting public services, etc. and then ponying up for a stadium.

I think AP has nothing to do with the stadium. He could get hurt and be done for his whole career at any point. The people of Minnesota are much smarter than they are being given credit.

As I said in the other thread, it is an interesting idea and one that was presented with some solid facts and not just thrown out there. I am comforted by the fact that at least the facts the dude presented are not being questioned.

It’s a weird one I’ll grant, and consider it a bit of ‘spit-ballin’ on my part. I hear the legit point that AP is, in terms of RBs, about halfway to a little past halfway on his career. That he could be 29 by the time we’re true contenders again, and that’s typically the last year of many a RB’s career.

So how about this… what if we limit his carries next season? Now, this is assuming that we’re accepting that ‘11 won’t be our glorious Super Bowl triumph. If it’s a restructuring, reloading year, then why not put the workload on Gerhart? Of course, Peterson should still get many a carry- over half- but not to the level we’ve been pushing him. This way, we keep him fresher, and extend his career a year or two.

Granted, AP’s a workin’ man- not a slave, mind you- and he might not be thrilled with this idea, particularly if it means he won’t get getting a +1000 yard year. Perhaps the logic of the situation would work for him, however, as he also strikes me as a bit more cerebral than your average NFL guy, as well as a company man.

Could work, could allow us to have him on our team when we win the Lombardi, and give him the ring he deserves with the team that deserves him.