Written by Tom Schreier
Well I’m packing up my game and I’m a head out west
“Cowboy” – Kid Rock
Kid Rock and Adrian Peterson probably don’t have too much in common, but one thing the Detroit-based rocker and the Palestine, Texas native running back currently under contract with the Minnesota Vikings do share is a desire to be out west. Kid Rock wants to find a nest in the hills, buy an old drop top and “Kid Rock it up and down your block,” while Peterson allegedly has a lingering desire to return to the place where he grew up and played high school football — at least according to an ESPN Outside the Lines report.
Allegedly, that is. All we know is what Jones told Peterson during the call, and that Peterson told Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press that he would like to retire a Viking after the Outside the Lines report came out.
In truth, this is little to fuss about.
From Peterson’s side of things, it’s not hard to see why he would want to play for the Cowboys: They are a national brand, they play in a football-mad state and Texas is home. Wouldn’t anybody from Minnesota be thrilled if Larry Fitzgerald, James Laurinaitis or Terrell Suggs expressed interest in returning home to play for the purple and gold? For that matter, what if Fitzgerald, teammate Michael Floyd and reality star New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker all got together and decided to sign with the Vikings — that would be one hell of a receiving corps. But, alas, the NFL is a business where players are drafted into the league and have to consider playing time, contract status and a team’s prospects of winning a championship once they are free agents. And, well, there’s that whole thing about the league rules that prevent ownership and management from tampering with players that are under contracts with other teams. Which brings us back to Jones.
“Well, I understand, Adrian,” Jones told Peterson on the call, per Dan Van Natta’s Outside the Lines profile on the Cowboys owner. “I’d like that, too…Well, I love your story. I love your daddy’s story. I’ve always respected what you’ve been about. I’ve always been a fan of yours.”
Jones reportedly went on to say that he’ll “see what we can do” and “if we can make that happen” before adding, “We’re talking pig Latin here, but let’s see what we can do about that.” Jones later admitted to talking to Peterson on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas/Ft. Worth, explaining that an associate of Peterson’s gave Jones the phone, possibly passing it through Van Natta while he was working on a profile of Jones. “We basically talked,” Jones said. “Adrian’s from Texas and certainly it was easy to talk to such a great player.”
Again, this is relatively innocuous. Peterson is from Palestine, Texas, Jones owns a team in Dallas and it’s hard not to think that he would like to see A.D. in navy, silver and white. Truth be told, however, the owner may have more in common with Kid Rock than Mr. Peterson. While Robert James Ritchie may desire to start an escort service, “for all the right reasons” of course, Jerry the richie might be his first customer. Photos of the owner doing weird stuff with strippers have surfaced recently, all with an even stranger backstory. Jones has categorized the pictures as a misrepresentation.
The recent pictures are far more damning for Jones than his conversation with Peterson. And while the league’s tampering rules should not be passed off as trivial, whatever Peterson told Jones should not concern Vikings fans. He’s under contract, he has never said he doesn’t like Minnesota and he seems genuinely interested in offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s offense.
Minnesota, perhaps more than any state, loves its local athletes and has immense state pride — go no further than the State Fairgrounds to see that. Everyone knows how popular high school hockey is here, and who would blame T.J. Oshie if he told Craig Leipold he’d like to join the Wild? Didn’t we celebrate when Elk River native Nate Prosser scored on Hockey Day Minnesota? Weren’t Zach Parise’s Minneapolis roots part of the reason we loved the July 4 signing in 2012?
If Peterson is experiencing homesickness, fans should understand. In fact, this might not be a terrible thing. As ESPN’s Ben Goessling reported in May, Peterson’s contract means an exit is feasible. Peterson will make $12 million this season, and he’s due to be paid $44 million in the last three years of his deal after signing a $100 million contract extension in 2011.
A reverse Herschel Walker trade could be in the works here. Instead of trading everything away to the Cowboys for a star running back, the Vikings could float the idea out there of trading Peterson to Dallas and see what they could get back. Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata appear well suited for Turner’s offense, which features pass catching backs a la Darren Sproles in his San Diego Chargers days, and while Peterson is unlikely to be traded this season, as time goes on, team management would be smart to look at getting a return for their 29-year-old star, especially when considering the wear and tear running backs take and how much of a cap hit Peterson carries.
The thought of seeing Peterson play in a different team’s colors might seem absurd right now, but the NFL is a business and Peterson allegedly expressed an interest in returning home. Both of which are good things for Vikings fans.
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Tom Schreier can be heard on The Michael Knight Show from 2-3:00 on weekdays. He has written for Bleacher Report and the Yahoo Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @tschreier3. |