Minnesota Vikings: Has Adrian Peterson’s time come to a close?

Has star running back Adrian Peterson played his last game with the Minnesota Vikings? His future is in limbo after being declared OUT for week 17…

Adrian Peterson is a sure-fire Hall of Fame running back, and one of the best players I can remember seeing play in my entire life, regardless of position.

But, everyone’s time in the NFL eventually comes to an end. Will Peterson follow in the footsteps of a fellow NFC North star in Calvin Johnson and call it a career after this season? Will he be back in Minnesota on a re-structured deal again?

Could Adrian “All Day” Peterson be on a different team in a couple of months?

These are all viable questions after Peterson’s latest injury has put him out for a week 17 regular season finale…

Peterson has worked tirelessly to come back from multiple major knee injuries in the last few years, and hasn’t looked like the same back when he’s been on the field, regardless of whether or not he was healthy. Part of that has to do with the Vikings’ offensive line, but part of it also deals with the wear and tear on AP’s body.

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The Vikings owe Peterson a $6 million roster bonus by March 11th, something they are most certainly not going to be giving him. Entering an age 32 season, Peterson is scheduled for a cap hit of a whopping $18 million.

He’s not getting that from any team, regardless of what he’s done in this game.

In every season which Peterson played in 14 games or more, he rushed for at least 1,266 yards. He has totaled 11,747 yards for his NFL career and has scored 97 touchdowns in 123 games. That’s a pretty incredible rate.

Peterson has been a fascinating player to watch since he was drafted by the Vikings in 2007, and will certainly draw some kind of interest on the open market for a team looking to add a veteran running back.

However, his time with the Vikings is likely over, and his status for Sunday’s finale against the Bears seals it. If we have seen the last of Adrian Peterson, it’s been a phenomenal career on the field. If there’s another chapter or two, I know I’ll be watching closely.