Before I get to what I think is going on with Adrian Peterson, here is what he had to say in an email to the AP about his return to the Vikings.
“I’ve been away from the game for an entire season,” Peterson wrote to the AP. “I wanted the chance to be around the players and coaches, the guys that really matter to me.”
“I understand this is a business. Clearly there were a lot of emotions involved, but I will only be better from the situation,” Peterson wrote. “I have a role to play and the Vikings have one as well. It’s time to move forward and put my energy and focus on preparing for the season.”
There are several things that could be going on here. Peterson maybe realized the Vikings weren’t going to trade him and the only way he could get his contract redone was by playing nice. The more likely scenario is Peterson’s agent has been the one pulling the puppet strings and AP just decided he was tired of playing around and decided to make the decision himself.
Whatever the case, Peterson hasn’t looked good throughout the ordeal (at some points he looked a little crazy), but in the end the best way he can secure his future is being the best AP he can on the field.