Friday, July 20, 2012

Was Adrian Peterson's Contract a Bad Deal for the Vikings?


The best running back in the league
isn't overpaid, he works too hard and
is the most elite running back in
the NFL.
Throughout this week several NFL running backs were signed to long-term extensions before their team placed the franchise tag on them. Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens and Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears both signed contracts valued at eight million dollars per season. Rice was locked in for five seasons, while Forte was signed for four. Did the Vikings pay Adrian Peterson more than he was actually valued at?

Peterson signed a seven year contract valued at $100 million with $36 million of the money being guaranteed. He will receive $40 million of the $100 million over his first three seasons of his contract. In addition, Peterson receives $1 million if he rushes for 1,250 yards and another $1 million dollars in incentives based on the Vikings success during the season.

The reason I believe he may be overpaid is based on the contracts of the most elite NFL players. Drew Brees signed his new extension this week and received a five year contract valued at $100 million with $60 million of the money guaranteed. As shown above, Adrian Peterson's contract is valued at the same amount as Brees, but Brees has more money guaranteed. This makes sense because Brees isn't a running back like Peterson who could be a larger injury liability.

I understand Peterson is the best running back in the NFL and that he shouldn't be paid more than the players comparable to him at the same position. I understand at that point in time Peterson needed to get paid the large contract to stay around in Minnesota. I feel like Peterson was the face of the franchise and still is the main superstar of this team. I'm pleased with the organization spending money to keep great franchise players.The more painful feeling is how much money we would have had to spend on other needs. I understand this is a business and the Vikings as an organization have decisions to make. At the time it was a great decision, but with the recent developments, it makes the situation a tough pill for Vikings fans to swallow. I know it is tough to fathom the thought of a running back being one of the highest paid players in the NFL, but when you think of the moments Adrian Peterson has brought to us, we can't doubt the great decision the Vikings made!

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