A lot of NFL teams need help at running back. The Vikings just happen to have a pretty good one available and are willing to make a deal.
So, any team that could use a rushing boost is going to be linked, at some point, to Adrian Peterson. It's the way the 24-hour sports news cycle is fed these days.
The Chargers have popped up as a potential landing spot for the All-Pro back who is still a devastating runner and would make any offense, especially one with Philip Rivers at quarterback, a whole lot better.
According to a Yahoo! Sports report, Peterson even has San Diego listed as one of his five preferred trade destinations (with Dallas, Tampa Bay, Arizona and Indianapolis), and would be open to restructuring his contract to help the team that acquires him avoid a large salary cap hit (Peterson is due $12.75 million for the 2015 season).
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is not going to happen. First, the NFL still has not removed Peterson from its commissioner's exempt list, so he's not even officially part of the league right now. Odds are he will eventually be allowed to play again, but when he does, he will carry the stigma of being an accused child abuser.
Peterson pleaded no contest to abuse charges, which in the court of public opinion is an admission of guilt. The Chargers are still trying to get a stadium built in San Diego with public funds. A lot of the people they need funds from are not football fans, so those folks are going to need convincing.
I'm not a psychologist, but I'm pretty sure the vast majority of people who don't like the NFL because of its violent nature are not going to suddenly jump on the bandwagon for a team that adds someone who admittedly whipped his son with a switch, and failed to see the problem with it.
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Adrian Peterson would be a tremendous, potentially affordable addition to the Chargers offense. He'll probably rush for 1500 yards and 10 touchdowns after a year off, and those might be conservative estimates. Heck, he might even make the Bolts one of the Super Bowl favorites in the AFC.
But, this is one of those situations where the team cannot make a football decision based on football. Tom Telesco and Dean Spanos see the bigger picture. They understand what's on the line. While a large number of Chargers fans would love to see Peterson wearing powder blue and gold, it's simply not a viable option.
Everyone deserves a second chance. Adrian Peterson deserves a second chance. That second chance simply needs to come somewhere other than San Diego.
