Silverman: Peterson Returns To Vikings — As If There Was Any Doubt...

By Steve Silverman
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There was a time when a holdout – or even a threatened holdout – could get an athlete a new contract, a raise in pay or a trade to the team of his choice.

Darrelle Revis did it successfully in 2010, but most of the other NFL holdouts were as far back as the 1970s and 1980s, and were perpetrated by stars like Eric Dickerson, Emmitt Smith, John Riggins, John Hannah, Leon Gray and Bo Jackson

But times have changed, and when Adrian Peterson threatened to stay away from the Minnesota Vikings and their OTAs with the additional threat not to report to training camp and a refusal to play for them this season, nobody took it seriously.

That's because the Vikings hold all the cards, and when they did not move him in late April during the draft, it meant they were planning to keep him around and make him an integral part of their game plan for the 2015 season.

The Vikings clearly considered the possibility of moving Peterson because of his heinous behavior that resulted in him being indicted on child abuse charges last September and being placed on the commissioner's exempt list, but the NFL is always about business.

Peterson, 30, is still one of the most talented running backs in the NFL. He may even be the best, although DeMarco Murray might choose to argue with that assertion.

However, aging running backs have little value on the open market in the NFL, and everyone knows why. These players have been taking massive hits since their teenage years, and most running backs are done after four or five years in the league. The fact that Peterson is going into his ninth season means he has beaten the odds, and everything from this point forward is a major bonus for him and the Vikings.

It's one thing to look at the position as a whole, but it's quite another to look at the individual player. Peterson has lasted as long as he has because he is bigger, stronger, tougher and faster than most of the defensive players who have been able to get their hands on him over the years.

Peterson has no doubt been hit hard and is sore every Monday after playing. However, he has handed out more punishment than he has absorbed. He is a different kind of running back, with a powerful hand punch when he delivers a stiff arm and churning pistons that give him the lower-body strength to break through tackles and inflict damage every time he makes contact with a linebacker or defensive backs.

The key reason Peterson reported to the Vikings' OTAs this week -- and was all smiles as he made nice with the organization -- is the figure on the check he will see the day after the Vikings play their season opener.

If Peterson is a member of the roster on opening day, he will get a $12.75 million payment. The Vikings put this in his contract and they know full well that their running back was not going to give this up under any circumstances.

The reason Peterson is back in the fold now and didn't wait until two weeks before the start of the season to report is primarily due to the work of head coach Mike Zimmer.

The head coach enters his second year with plenty of momentum, as the Vikings showed significant improvement in the second half of last season and finished with a 7-9 record. Remember, they did this without Peterson, who only played in the first game of the season.

Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater grew up during the season, and he goes into his second year knowing what is expected and prepared for success. At the same time, Zimmer has built a nasty defense that may be able to assert itself this year.

The Vikings will not play defense like the Seattle Seahawks this season, but they may be just a step behind. Zimmer is one of the best defensive minds in the game today, and he understands how to motivate his players.

Throw in one of the two or three best running backs in the game, and you have a team that is poised to challenge Green Bay for the top position in the NFC North.

Zimmer has played nice with Peterson ever since meeting him, and that includes the dark days after his indictment. Zimmer may be as revolted by Peterson's parenting techniques as any other decent member of society, but he realizes that Peterson is a difference-maker.

That's why he let Peterson know that he had his back. He is a very smart businessman and a sharp coach.

The Vikings were never going to get equal value in a trade for Peterson. Jerry Jones may have made some noises about bringing Peterson to Dallas, but that was never going to happen because of the price the Vikings would have extracted.

Key injuries could change the way the season plays out, but the Vikings have one of the sharpest young head coaches, an emerging quarterback, an aggressive and hard-hitting defense and a hammer of a running back.

The Minnesota Vikings just may be on the verge of a major breakthrough in 2015.