Finally, since I have written much about Adrian Peterson and his zeal to extricate himself from the Vikings, here is my take on his Twitter rant regarding the reality and the folly of NFL contracts.
Teams do not honor later years of NFL contracts. Why? Because they don’t have to; no veteran players have been able to negotiate fully guaranteed contracts. The fact that NFL contracts are not guaranteed is not a function of the CBA; it is dictated by individual player contract negotiations.
Therein lies the irony of Peterson’s outburst. For the NFL to move toward fully guaranteed contracts, it will have to come from superstar players like, well, Adrian Peterson, using their significant leverage to break the seal on full guarantees. Peterson could have used his considerable leverage in 2011 to extract more guaranteed years, perhaps at the expense of total value. If he had, he would have no worry that the Vikings may cut him with no remaining financial obligation. And for further irony: Peterson’s ultimate goal is for the Vikings to not honor his contract, to release him to play elsewhere (which they won’t do).
Now, realizing he and agent Ben Dogra’s strategy of being such irritants that the Vikings move on from him has been fruitless, he is in the fold with no future guarantees on his contract, which could mean his wish for another team could come true next year. Of course, we do not know what went on between Peterson/Dogra and the Vikings. Perhaps, as it happens when there are contract disputes in the NFL, Peterson was promised at least a conversation or even a negotiation about future guaranteed money. I have been there: front offices will tell the agent of a disgruntled player something to this effect: “I’m not saying we will address the contract, but we will certainly not address it without him being here.”
And if the Vikings do guarantee future salary, I would expect that amount for 2016 to be in the $5-7 million range (of the $15 million due) with offset language. Thus, if they do move on from Peterson, they can reasonably expect their remaining financial obligation will be covered, as Peterson should garner at least $7 million next year.