The Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson are still at odds despite recent meetings between the two camps, multiple reports confirmed on Saturday.
Peterson recently met with team owners Zygi and Mark Wilf to clear the air after the superstar running back expressed disappointment over the way the Vikings handled his case last season.
Peterson was placed on commissioner's exempt list after the veteran plead no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless injury for allegedly disciplining his four-year old son using a switch. Because of how things turned out last season, Peterson reportedly wants out of Minnesota.
According to NFL insider Ben Goessling of ESPN, Ben Dogra, Peterson's agent, declined to accept an invitation for a face-to-face meeting between Peterson and general manager Rick Spielman after the latter informed the 29-year-old and his camp that they will not grant his release.
Most analyst believe the Vikings opted not to release Peterson to send a message to interested teams that they will not give the former NFL Most Valuable Player up without getting any asset in return. It means the Vikings-Peterson marriage could still end, but only if a team offers an attractive package for the eight-year veteran.
One of the teams who are allegedly interested in acquiring Peterson is the Arizona Cardinals. Previous reports indicated that the Cardinals are closely monitoring the situation between the Vikings and their disgruntled running back, who has played his entire NFL career in Minnesota.
Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald, who is a good friend of Peterson, said on Wednesday that he would love to have the superstar running back in Arizona. Fitzgerald said that Peterson will be a game-changer for any team who will be able to acquire him in a trade with the Vikings before the 2015 NFL season.
"Obviously, he's an MVP-caliber player," Fitzgerald said of Peterson. "Everybody knows that. Any team he ends up with -- or if he stays with the Vikings -- is going to have a great back. If he was to come play here, it would obviously mean a tremendous amount for our ballclub."
A trade is not set in stone, though, because the Vikings have complete control of the situation. Peterson is in contract until after the 2017 NFL season and is scheduled to receive $12.75 million from Minnesota this season.
In the event Peterson insists that he is not willing to play anymore in Minnesota, analysts are convinced that the Vikings could dare the Texas native to sit out and not get his salary this season. Peterson is aware of that possibility, but confidently said last month he does not think the Vikings will hold him like a hostage if he is not happy anymore.
