3 options for the Vikings to replace Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson named the New York Giants, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as teams he'd be interested in playing for if he doesn't return to Minnesota in 2017.
While Peterson is under contract to play for the Vikings, there has been a lot of speculation that after missing the majority of the season because of a knee injury the Vikings will not be willing to pay Peterson his $18 million un-guaranteed dollars.
So here is a little response to Peterson's list with a list of options for the Vikings.
1. Wayne Gallman, Clemson
It's not a bad time for an NFL team to be looking for a running back, it's certainly a buyers' market, one reason for that is an exceptionally deep draft class.
Gallman would be a good fit for the Vikings. Walter Football projects him to be drafted between the 2nd and 4th rounds – since Minnesota doesn't have a first round pick that's an important factor.
Here is what they have to say about him.
"Gallman has impressive feet with the ability to be elusive in the open field. He has tremendous lateral quickness to dodge tacklers and a burst to accelerate running North-South. Gallman also has some power to him to pound the ball for some tough yards and finish off runs."
Going with a rookie would also allow the Vikings to spend their free agent money fixing the offensive line.
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2. Latavius Murray, Oakland
We're still a little skeptical that the Raiders will let Murray leave in free agency. He has been a big part of their offense and having a power back like Murray opposite of Derek Carr to lead the passing game keeps the Raiders balanced.
Murray didn't break 1,000 yards this season, but he did score 12 touchdowns.
At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Murray could provide the Vikings the powerful back they were lacking in short-yardage situations this season.
Murray is likely to carry a big price tag if he hits open market.
3. Terrance West, Baltimore
If the Vikings choose to go the free agent route, a more cost-effective option could be Baltimore's Terrance West.
At 25, West has never really had the chance to be the featured back. Even if the Vikings chose to go this route, West could wind up being used in tandem with Jerick McKinnon.
But he ran for a career-best 774 yards and 5 touchdowns, while averaging 4.0 yards per carry for the Ravens this year, while splitting time with Kenneth Dixon.
He is also a decent receiver out of the backfield. One drawback with West, he doesn't break a lot of big runs. In four years in the NFL his longest run is 41 yards.
No matter how the Vikings decide to fill the void left by their all-time leading rusher, it shouldn't be too hard for them to find someone to outperform AP's 72 yards on 37 carries this year.
