Mike Zimmer not giving ground in Vikings' stand-off with Peterson

On Wednesday, Mike Zimmer stuck to the Vikings' tough love stance in regards to their disgruntled star running back Adrian Peterson.

Don Banks | Mar 25, 2015

Mike Zimmer not giving ground in Vikings' stand-off with Peterson /

PHOENIX -- The NFL’s annual meeting closed here on Wednesday morning with Adrian Peterson remaining a Minnesota Viking. And here’s the conclusion we can draw from that:

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Though Peterson’s high-profile agent, Ben Dogra, was in town this week telling anyone who would listen that it’s no longer in his client’s best interests to stay in Minnesota, it was the Vikings who reminded us that they have a few interests of their own to look out for in this never-ending six-month-plus saga. As is well within their right.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has absolutely the correct approach. At Wednesday morning’s NFC coaches/media breakfast at the Arizona Biltmore hotel, it was Zimmer who adopted Peterson’s trademark All Day mindset, sticking to the team’s tough love stance in regards to the demands of its disgruntled star running back.

There will be no trade, to Arizona or anyone else, said Zimmer. There will be no capitulation. If Peterson wants to play in 2015, he’ll be wearing purple when he does it. And good for the Vikings for making that crystal clear and standing firm. Why should Minnesota be forced to deal away its best player and most valuable asset because he got his feelings hurt in the aftermath of a child abuse case that was completely a mess of his own making?

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"I’m not going to speculate on what he wants or doesn’t want, but Adrian’s under contract for three more years with us," Zimmer said. "That’s why you sign those contracts, that’s why you get these big bonuses, you know? We’re planning on him being here."

Later, with emphasis, he added: "We have no plans to trade Adrian."

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I lost track of exactly how many times Zimmer referenced Peterson being "under contract," but it easily reached double digits. Remaining steadfast without ever sounding exasperated or belligerent, Zimmer underlined the obvious: Minnesota has all the leverage in this stand-off, and the Vikings are perfectly willing to call Peterson’s bluff. Who knows how long this staring contest might continue, but Zimmer and the team don’t seem ready to blink.

After the Vikings paid him a ton not to play for most of last year and stand ready and willing to pay him a boatload ($12.75 million) to play this year, the next move belongs to Peterson. He can take the money and run, out of Minnesota’s backfield only, but the Vikings aren’t going to see the franchise penalized twice for actions that Peterson bears the blame for.

"We not only felt bad for what happened to Adrian and Adrian’s son, but also to what happened to us as a result," Zimmer said of the 2014 Vikings, the first club he led after years of waiting for his shot as an NFL head coach. "There were some things that happened to us that we had to overcome throughout the course of the year as well. We all understand what Adrian’s done for the Vikings organization and for the state, and we also understand what we’ve done for him as well. I’ll stop there."

Enough said. The Vikings’ relationship with Peterson is a two-way street, Zimmer was pointing out, and it’s prudent for both parties to recognize that reality. The time for talking is probably over, given both sides have communicated plenty in recent weeks. There’s no misunderstanding. Just a lack of agreement on the way forward.

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"I think we’ve all talked pretty much," Zimmer said. "I think we’re pretty firm in where we are and what we believe and where we’re at. He’s under contract, and yeah, we expect him to honor it."

That stance, Zimmer said, does not represent a change in philosophy, even though two recent Pro Football Talk reports indicated Zimmer had said on air that if Peterson definitely wanted out of Minnesota, the team would accommodate him. Those reports perhaps led Dogra to conclude that Peterson could agitate his way off the Vikings roster.

"I’m glad you asked that," said Zimmer, when the topic was broached. "It [PFT] kept saying I would accommodate him. I never said I would accommodate him. All I said was I want him to want to be there, like I want all my players to be there. I’ve been in situations before that I thought were not the best situation, but I’ve been under contract, so I did what I was supposed to do and it turned out pretty good.

[daily_cut.nfl]"We all have contracts. I mean, I can’t say, 'Okay, I’m going to go to this team or something.' I never once said I would accommodate him. Those words never came out of my mouth."

It’s impossible to miss that message from Zimmer. Peterson might want out, believing that some in the Minnesota organization were not supportive enough last September when he was charged with child abuse of his four-year-old son, but what we want and what we get in life is not always the same. Peterson can play for the Vikings or play for no one in 2015, and that’s why Zimmer doesn’t see the current situation as player and team going through some choreographed routine.

"He’s under contract and we expect him to be there," he said. "I mean, we’re not dancing. I’m not a very good dancer."

Zimmer has been open in trying to appeal to Peterson’s sense of legacy and history with the Vikings organization. Some day, Zimmer said, Canton will come calling, and even though Peterson might not appreciate it now, staying with Minnesota his entire career will be meaningful.

"I think when he goes into the Hall of Fame, he’s going to want to go in with the jersey everyone remembers him wearing, and so that would be as a Viking," Zimmer said, declining to reveal if he made that case directly to Peterson. "But I wanted to make sure I got that out there. It is important. Without saying what we talked about, [it] probably [was communicated].

"I think back and I had Deion Sanders and Charles Haley ... and some other guys that I’ve coached over time, and they come back and really a lot of them wish they never would have left [their original teams]. That might be a good question to ask Emmitt Smith, if he wished he wouldn’t have gone to Arizona those last two years."

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I have little doubt that if the melodrama involving Peterson's issues with the Vikings turned on his rapport with Zimmer, the veteran running back could easily re-cross the bridge that he feels has been burned. But of course, the situation includes other complicating factors, involving bad feelings toward the team from Peterson family members, and his distrust of at least one official in the team’s front office. Ultimately, if the club’s stance stays as firm as it currently is, can Peterson and Zimmer’s relationship carry the day and help resolve the stand-off?

"I think the relationship is still there, yeah," Zimmer said. "I think he feels that way.... I’m trying not to say what he’s told me, but I think both of us, we understand that we have a good relationship—him and myself—and football-wise, the team, our football organization, I think he feels good about it, yeah."

For now, with Peterson still idling on the commissioner’s exempt list until at least April 15 after his league suspension was overturned on appeal, there’s no end in sight to this contentious story. Peterson remains a Viking today and appears to be going nowhere. Both sides have dug in and want their way, but it’s Minnesota that still owns the upper hand.

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Recent Blockbuster Trades in the NFL

2015: Jimmy Graham, Max Unger

Fred Vuich/SI; Orlando Ramirez/Icon Sportswire

The New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks sent shockwaves on the opening day of free agency in 2015 with the trade of center Max Unger and a first-round pick for tight end Jimmy Graham and a fourth-round pick. The Seahawks, coming off back-to-back appearances in the Super Bowl, sorely needed to improve their receiving corps and seem to have gotten the job done in grand fashion.

2015: Nick Foles, Sam Bradford

A pair of injury-plagued starters, Nick Foles and Sam Bradford traded places on the opening day of free agency in 2015 . The Philadelphia Eagles surprisingly shipped Foles and a fourth-round pick and conditional second-rounder to the St. Louis Rams for Sam Bradford and a fifth-round pick. Bradford missed all of the 2014 season with a torn ACL, while Foles sat out eight games that season with a broken collarbone.

2015: LeSean McCoy

The Philadelphia Eagles stunned the NFL world by trading 2013 NFL rushing champion LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso in early March 2015. The move was yet another signal that third-year Eagles coach Chip Kelly intended to build a team his way, whether or not it made sense to pundits. For New Bills coach Rex Ryan it was a bold acquisition, especially in exchange for a linebacker who missed all of the 2014 season with a torn ACL

2013: Darrelle Revis

The New York Jets refused to meet Darrelle Revis’ contract demands and traded him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in April 2013 for a first-round pick in 2014 (Sheldon Richardson) and a fourth-rounder in 2015. Revis, the top corner in the league but also coming off ACL surgery, lasted a year in Tampa; then signed with the Patriots and won a Super Bowl before leaving after one season to rejoin the Jets.

2013: Percy Harvin

Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks from the Minnesota Vikings for first- and seventh-round picks in 2013 and a third-round pick in 2014 looked like a horrible move by the Vikings at the time of the deal. In hindsight, not so bad. And though the Seahawks won a Super Bowl with Harvin on the field in February 2014, he wore out his welcome and was traded to the New York Jets the following season.

2013: Trent Richardson

Only two games into the 2013 season, the Cleveland Browns shocked the NFL by trading their first round pick from the year before, Trent Richardson, to the Indianapolis Colts for a first round pick in 2014. The Colts were seeking a replacement for the injured Vick Ballard, while new Cleveland management were rumored not to be terribly fond of either of Cleveland's 2012 first round picks (Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden). Richardson underperformed with the Colts in his two years with the team.

2012: Robert Griffin III

After surviving a full year with Rex Grossman at the helm, the Washington Redskins decided to make one of the largest draft-day trades in NFL history in an attempt to draft a franchise quarterback. The Redskins acquired the second overall pick in the 2012 draft, with the intention of picking Robert Griffin III, from the St. Louis Rams for three first round picks and a second round selection. Griffin would go on to win Rookie of the Year in 2012 and lead the Redskins to the playoffs, but his season would end with a torn ACL in the divisional game against the Seahawks. RGIII has struggled with both his play and injuries ever since.

2012: Brandon Marshall

Shortly after firing their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, the Bears traded two third-round picks to acquire Brandon Marshall from the Miami Dolphins. Why? To please Jay Cutler. A combo that had been wildly successful as teammates in Denver, the Bears brought in the volatile star receiver for a fairly modest price. After three prosperous seasons with Chicago, during which he scored 31 touchdowns, Marshall was sent to the Jets for a fifth-round pick.

2009: Jay Cutler

After requesting a trade because of the hiring of Josh McDaniels, Jay Cutler found himself out of Denver and in Chicago in a three-team trade that changed the course of the Pro Bowler's career and energized the Bears. Only 25 at the time of the trade, Cutler would take the Bears as far as the NFC Championship Game two years later.

2009: Tony Gonzalez

One of the most beloved players in Kansas City Chiefs' history, Tony Gonzalez said his final goodbyes to the only pro team he'd ever played for on April 24, 2009, when the Chiefs shipped the 10-time Pro Bowl tight end to the Falcons for a second-round pick. Gonzalez remained one of the league's elite tight ends, earning four more Pro Bowl appearances in five seasons in Atlanta, before retiring.

Brett Favre

Brett Favre from the Packers to the Jets for a conditional draft pick. After 16 record-breaking seasons with Green Bay, Favre changed his mind on retiring and landed in New York. The three-time MVP and the Jets started out well but faded down the stretch; they missed the playoffs at 9-7 and he threw the same number of interceptions (a league-high 22) as touchdowns.

2007: Randy Moss

Randy Moss to the Patriots from the Raiders for a fourth-round pick. On draft weekend, the team-minded Patriots shocked the NFL by dealing for Moss, whose talent as a game-changing receiver had supposedly atrophied during his two mostly desultory seasons in Oakland. But Moss, as it turns out, was merely disinterested in losing, and his reemergence in New England coincided with the team's perfect regular season. Moss caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards and had a single-season NFL record 23 touchdowns. Not bad production in exchange for a fourth-round pick that Oakland used to select little-known University of Cincinnati cornerback John Bowie.

2004: Eli Manning, Philip Rivers

Eli Manning to the Giants for Philip Rivers and first-, third- and fifth-round picks. The draft-day deal saw Manning (taken first overall) and Rivers (No. 4) traded for one another shortly after being selected by the Chargers and Giants, respectively. It's difficult to pinpoint a bigger win-win trade in NFL history. The Giants landed the franchise quarterback who led them to two Super Bowl titles, including that memorable upset of the undefeated Patriots four years later, and the Chargers eventually reaped a windfall that included three future Pro Bowl players -- Rivers, linebacker Shawne Merriman and kicker Nate Kaeding -- and a veteran starting left offensive tackle in Roman Oben.

2004: Champ Bailey, Clinton Portis

Champ Bailey and a second-round pick to the Broncos from the Redskins for Clinton Portis. One of the most intriguing and fair deals in NFL history saw the top cover cornerback in the game, Bailey (plus a draft pick that became running back Tatum Bell), go west while one of the league's top runners, Portis, headed to D.C.

2004: Terrell Owens

Terrell Owens to the Eagles from the Niners. You might forget that Owens blocked San Francisco's original deal with Baltimore, balking at the idea of joining the Ravens. Owens wanted to become an Eagle and play with Donovan McNabb, and he eventually got his wish when the three teams worked out a compromise that the NFL helped broker. (The Eagles sent a fifth-round pick to Baltimore and defensive end Brandon Whiting to S.F. The Ravens also recovered a second-rounder sent to the Niners for Owens.) The deal was a bonanza for Philadelphia that season, as Owens' big-play impact got the Eagles finally over their NFC title game hump and into the Super Bowl. But by '05, T.O. and McNabb were at war, and the Eagles' season was a casualty of the conflict.

2003: Drew Bledsoe

Drew Bledsoe to the Buffalo Bills for a first-round draft pick in 2003. The April 2002 trade of Bledsoe, a former first-round pick himself (1993), was fueled by the success Tom Brady had in replacing the injured Bledsoe in 2002. New England won a Super Bowl that season and obviously made the right move in shifting to Brady. Bledsoe spent three seasons in Buffalo and two in Dallas, where he was replaced by Tony Romo.

2002: Jon Gruden

Jon Gruden to the Bucs from the Raiders for two first-round picks, two second-round picks and $8 million. Not content to field a perennial playoff team that habitually came up short once January arrived, Bucs owners Bryan and Joel Glazer fired beloved coach Tony Dungy and went looking for a replacement in January 2002. After fits and starts lasting almost two months, the Tampa Bay coaching search eventually turned toward Gruden, who had led Oakland to three straight playoff trips in four seasons. The Bucs sent a pirate's treasure to the Raiders in exchange for Gruden, but the move quickly paid off big time when he led the team Dungy had built to the franchise's only Super Bowl title, in January 2003.

2001: Michael Vick, LaDainian Tomlinson

Chargers trade the first pick in the draft to the Falcons for the fifth pick in the first round, the fifth pick in the third, a future second-round pick and receiver Tim Dwight In what turned out to be a stroke of brilliance, the Chargers dealt the top pick that Atlanta used to take Michael Vick and wound up with the greatest runner of his era, LaDainian Tomlinson (at No. 5), along with cornerback Tay Cody and wide receivers Reche Caldwell and Dwight. The cherry on top for the Chargers came with the first pick in the second round when another QB, Purdue's Drew Brees, came into the fold.

Published Mar 25, 2015

DON BANKS

Senior NFL writer Don Banks joined SI in 2000 after 10 years on the beat covering the Vikings and Buccaneers. His Snap Judgments cap off every Sunday of every NFL season.