The Dallas Cowboys are rumored to be making a strong play for Adrian Peterson to replace the likely departing DeMarco Murray, with sources saying the ruling reinstating Peterson opens the door for Dallas to bring him back home to Texas.
This week, U.S. District Judge David S. Doty overturned the suspension of Adrian Peterson, who had been sidelined since his arrest for child abuse.
Peterson praised the ruling, saying he was ready to return to football.
“I was pleased to learn about Judge Doty’s decision,” Peterson wrote in a press release after the ruling, via NFL.com
“It is a positive step in protecting players’ rights and preserving due process for all players,” Peterson wrote. “It also brings me one step closer to getting back on the football field and playing the sport I love. As I prepare for my return to football, I am still focused on my family and continue to work to become a better father every day.”
But though he is headed back to the gridiron, it seems increasingly clear that Adrian Peterson will not be playing for the Minnesota Vikings again. CBS Sports reported last week that Peterson’s agent, Ben Dogra, got into a verbal spat with Vikings’ vice president Rob Brzezinski at the NFL Combine that led to Dogra telling the team Peterson was out the door.
Peterson himself seemed to be worn out on the team, especially with the way he was treated during his legal troubles.
“It shows you can have all the loyalty toward someone and toward an organization, a fan base, but when things really shift and it’s you or the empire, they’re going to put you out on a leash,” he said in a past interview. “I said, ‘Of course (I would love to come back to the Vikings).’ I said it. But my emotions, as far as those things I feel, those are for players like (linebacker) Chad Greenway, those guys that play the game just like me, that have the same passion I have, the same goal I have, to win a championship. That’s where it comes from. It don’t come from the organization. I’m not in a good place when it comes to that.”
That fight and Peterson’s statements have helped to re-ignite the rumors that the Dallas Cowboys would likely end up with Peterson. There were reports last week that Peterson was demanding a trade to Dallas , and though sources close to the team later debunked those rumors, the Cowboys seem a logical destination.
In the past, Peterson has spoken about playing for his hometown team, as he grew up just a little more than an hour away from Dallas. The Cowboys will likely have a hole in their backfield next season, with the team not financially able to keep both DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant and many believing they will emphasize signing Bryant over Murray.
But if the Dallas Cowboys don’t snag Adrian Peterson, there are rumors they could be looking in another direction to replace DeMarco Murray. Some believe they will be able to take one of the top two running backs in the upcoming NFL Draft, either Georgia’s Todd Gurley or Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon.
[Image via Getty/ Dilip Vishwanat ]
