When Adrian Peterson skips this week’s organized team activities for the Minnesota Vikings, he will attempt to send an unmistakable message to the franchise: He wants to be traded.
Over the course of the offseason, multiple league sources told Yahoo Sports that several issues were fueling Peterson’s desire to leave the Vikings. Among them:
• Peterson’s belief that both he and his family need a fresh start in a new city, allowing him to bring personal closure to a disastrous 2014.
• His feeling that the franchise declined to strongly back him publicly during the initial stages of his child abuse charge prior to the 2014 season.
• Trust issues with Vikings executive Kevin Warren, who Peterson and his father Nelson believe undercut the player privately in favor of saving face with business partners and sponsors.
• Coverage from local media during his legal issues, including what he believed was unfair criticism of his “All Day Foundation.”A source also claimed that Peterson is seeking to rework his contract with the Vikings to secure more guaranteed money.
While Peterson would lose his $250,000 workout bonus by skipping offseason workouts, he cannot be officially fined until he skips mandatory activities. The Vikings’ mandatory minicamp is slated to run from June 16-18.
