Written by Joel Corey at CBS Sports.com
Seven-time Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson has been in for a rude awakening ever since the Vikings declined to pick up his option for the 2017 season, making him a free agent. Peterson’s option year was for $18 million, which included a $6 million roster bonus scheduled to become due on March 11.
Free agency can be a humbling process. This is particularly true for superstar players on the decline that don’t generate much interest during the first wave of free agency, which is typically the first 48 to 72 hours of the signing period.
Peterson took to Twitter over the weekend to dispute an ESPN report that he is asking for more than $8 million in the first year of a contract. The 2012 NFL MVP suggested money isn’t the most important consideration. In part, Peterson said, “Finding the best fit & helping a team in a major way to a championship is my main objective! I’m in no rush.”
It’s easy for Peterson to say he isn’t in a rush because he probably doesn’t have much of a choice about being patient. There is usually very little free-agent activity during the NFL’s annual meeting, which began Sunday in Phoenix. Teams will devote most of their attention to the upcoming NFL Draft, which will be held April 27-29, after the meeting wraps up Wednesday. There are typically some signings of free agents still on the open market in the days leading up to the draft.
My 15 years of experience in player representation suggests that Peterson was initially pricing himself out of the market. It would be a huge step from Peterson’s perspective to target a deal from the outset where he was taking a 50 percent pay cut in 2017 from his scheduled $18 million, especially after setting the running back market for the past several years on a contract averaging more than $14 million per year.
To continue reading this article, click here.
