On what's turned out to be a beautiful summer day here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Vikings have completed signing their draft picks, as they've inked 2007 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson to a five-year, $40.5 million contract.
Well, I'm certainly glad that that's over. Peterson missed a total of five practices (2 Friday, 2 Saturday, and 1 today), but he'll be on the field starting tomorrow.
Update [2007-7-29 17:36:32 by Gonzo]:
Pro Football Talk has some more details on the Peterson contract.
Per a source with knowledge of the contract, Peterson will earn $24.75 million over five years if he rushes for more than 1,000 yards one time. If he rushes for 1,000 yards in a season twice, the value goes to more than $27 million.
Peterson can push the deal to more than $28 million in four ways -- rushing for 1,300 yards once is the primary category. If he rushes for 1,300 yards twice, the deal goes to more than $30 million.
The difference between $30 million and $40 million will require, as the source said, "super high-end stuff."
Also, the source said that the $17 million in guaranteed money is significant, since Peterson has an injury history and plays a position with a history of guys getting injured.
And with $17 million guaranteed on a five-year deal, Peterson (the No. 7 pick) actually has done better on a per-year basis that the No. 4 pick, Bucs defensive end Gaines Adams, who received $18.5 million guaranteed on a six-year contract.
Under the "base value," "good starter," and "superstar" levels pursuant to which we compared the deals for the first five players selected in the 2005 draft, Peterson will actually get more money over five years as a "good starter" than the No. 2 overall pick, Fins running back Ronnie Brown, will receive through five years as a "good starter."
Have I mentioned in the recent past that our front office is great? Because they are. . .they're pretty great.