By now, you've probably seen this story from Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports that speculates that running back Adrian Peterson and his agent, Ben Dogra, could. . .again, could. . .play the "retirement card" in their fight (such as it is) with the Minnesota Vikings.
Honestly, what the Vikings are involved in with Peterson and Dogra really isn't a "fight" so much as it's. . .well, it's like a kid that's angry with their parents. Sure, the kid might scream about how much they hate you and threaten to run away, and maybe even throw some things in their backpack and start walking down the street. In the case of the kid, however, they generally end up realizing how good they actually have it and come back in time for supper.
At this point, I'm not sure if I have that much faith in the team of Dogra and Peterson.
Sure, the potential threat of retirement is probably just the latest turn in the extended hissy fit that Peterson and Dogra have been throwing for the past few months, culminating with the Vikings doing exactly what they said they were going to do. . .that being not trade Adrian Peterson before or during the 2015 NFL Draft and expect him to show up and honor the contract that has made him the highest-earning running back in the history of the National Football League.
To be clear, again, as far as leverage and momentum and that sort of thing, the Vikings have all of it and the Peterson/Dogra camp has none of it. If Peterson decides to carry this on and decide not to report to Training Camp, the Vikings can fine him as much as $30,000 a day, and they can start recouping his salary of nearly $800,000 a week if it goes into the regular season. If Peterson and Dogra do decide to follow through and announce Peterson's retirement. . .well, the Vikings will hold his rights until they decide they don't want them anymore.
And, honestly, is Peterson really going to have it better in many places than he'll have it in Minnesota? He certainly won't from a financial standpoint, as nobody's giving him the same $12.75 million that he's going to be in line for with the Vikings. As far as his supporting cast, Teddy Bridgewater would already be the second-best quarterback that Peterson has played with as a Viking, and there's a very good chance that this will be the best defense that he's had backing up the Minnesota offense in his career.
Rick Spielman and company have made it abundantly clear that if Adrian Peterson plays in the National Football League again, he will do so with the Minnesota Vikings. And, honestly, I think the chances that Peterson carries this charade to the point of actually retiring from the NFL are somewhere between slim and none. I just think it's humorous that it's something that's being floated at this point.
Yesterday, when I posted a story about Peterson not attending Organized Team Activities this week. . .or this month. . .there were some rumblings that people were tired of speculation or hearing from sources and that sort of thing. And I'll say here the same thing I said there.
If there comes a point where Adrian Peterson wants to stop hiding behind surrogates, find himself a microphone, and address this situation himself, that would be just swell.
I'm as tired as you are of hearing from Adrian Peterson's agent, or Adrian Peterson's lawyer, or Adrian Peterson's father, or from some random NFL reporter. And I understand the reason that it's being done this way. It's being done this way so that when the time comes where Peterson inevitably does come back. . .and, in the end, he will be back. . .he can get rubes to sit there and say, "There, you see? He wasn't really mad at the Vikings. It was all just speculation and people were just fanning the flames to try to make a name for themselves." And there will be people that say that. . .hell, there have been people that have spewed that kind of junk already. Not for nothing, but most places. . .us included. . .had made plenty of a name for themselves well before Adrian Peterson and Ben Dogra decided they were more important than the Minnesota Vikings.
It would be very easy for one person to dispel all of the rumors and innuendo in this matter. But that one person won't do it. (Not can't. . .won't.) And as long as there is speculation on this matter. . .which is still the biggest matter surrounding the Minnesota Vikings, whether anyone likes it or not. . .we will continue to discuss that speculation. No matter how laughable it appears to be.