Adrian Peterson's Father Mentioned Colts as a Rumored Landing Spot for His Son

Yesterday the big news was announced that U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled in favor of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, which is a major step towards the running back being reinstated into the NFL after nearly a year away after allegations of child abuse.

His father, Nelson Peterson, talked with the Twin Cities Pioneer Press' Chris Tomasson on Thursday and, among other things, mentioned that he has heard "rumors" of three potential landing spots for his son.  Nelson stressed that his son has not requested a trade, but mentioned the Cardinals, the Cowboys, and the Colts as rumored candidates.

"I've heard rumors, Arizona,'' Nelson told Tomasson.  "I've also heard the rumors of Indianapolis and the Colts, going there with a quarterback the caliber of (Andrew) Luck. I've also heard the Cowboys, coming back home with the Cowboys, behind that offensive line that they have.''

It seems clear that the Vikings are currently not set on trading Peterson.  But, as Nelson notes, "If a blockbuster deal opens and a team wants to gave them something they can't turn down, they're going to have to take a look at it."

Any team trading for Peterson would have to take on his $15.4 million cap hit next season, something that many might be hesitant to do.  But we know that the running back is "uneasy" about returning to the Vikings, though it sounds like Minnesota is currently not looking to trade him.  It'll be a very interesting situation to watch moving forward.

Ultimately, Nelson Peterson didn't officially say that those three teams were interested, but when the father of the player says he's heard "rumors" about it, there's probably quite a bit of truth to it.  And it would not be a surprise at all for any of those three teams to have interest.  The Colts and Cardinals both need a running back, while the Cowboys likely will too (with Demarco Murray potentially leaving in free agency).  The talk of Peterson to the Cowboys has been pretty strong over the past year, but there are sure to be other teams interested in the running back.

Could the Colts be one of them?  It's certainly a possibility, and we looked at the factors that would go into it earlier this week.  If they're going to trade for Peterson, they shouldn't give up a lot and they should do it with a restructured contract, thus leading me to lean towards saying "no" to a trade.  Free agency is a different question, however, and that could happen if the Vikings release him if they find no trade suitors and don't want him around.  But one thing does sound more and more likely, and that is the fact that the Colts might have interest in pursuing Adrian Peterson this offseason.  Right now it's just speculation or Peterson's father hearing "rumors," but there likely is at least some bit of truth to all of these rumors and speculation.