Peterson to the Cowboys is Just Fantasy Football

Here’s how Fantasy Football is ruining real football: Adrian Peterson. To the Cowboys.

Sorry, but here in the actual NFL it ain’t happenin’.

It’s a fan-concocted, media-driven wish list that – at least via conventional means – just isn’t practical. At this point it’s a suburban legend, fueled by those who “want” it to happen because in their Fantasy Football leagues it “could” happen.

Peterson, of course, is the NFL’s best running back. He sat out all but one game in 2014 after admitting to punishing his son with a switch. And now the Vikings are considering their options.

Considering the imminent free-agent departure of DeMarco Murray, certainly the Cowboys could use a primo running back. But, as of yet, Peterson hasn’t asked to be traded and Minnesota hasn’t announced plans to cut him. We can surmise that Peterson, a Palestine native, would love to return to our football-lovin’, corporal punishment-ingrained state.

But here’s why it will be difficult, at best:

Peterson’s salary over the next three years is, gulp, $13, $15 and $17 million. Nobody would absorb that kind of contract, especially the newly crowned NFL Executive of the Year, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. The Cowboys are likely going to balk at paying Murray more than $6 million a year, so why would they almost triple that amount to acquire another back who just sat out a season because of legal troubles?

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The Cowboys could trade for Peterson, but he’d have to accept a renegotiated, lower contract in Dallas. It’s just not as simple as “Peterson wants out of Minnesota” and “the Cowboys need a running back” and “Peterson is from Texas.”

A Peterson-to-the-Cowboys deal is like driving amidst Thundersleet: Doable, but very dangerous. And, in the end, the reward probably isn’t worth the risk.
 

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

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