Running back Adrian Peterson traveled to New York yesterday for a meeting with Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf and General Manager Rick Spielman, a team source confirmed. The source said the meeting was a continuation in the dialogue between Peterson and the team.
Last week, Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer flew to Houston to meet with Peterson at his home there. That meeting, which both sides thought was productive, lasted about four hours.
The Vikings had been limited in their communications with Peterson while he was suspended, due to NFL rules. But now that he is back on the commissioner's exempt list, which is keeping him in limbo with the league, anyone in the Vikings organization is able to talk with Peterson.
The timing of yesterday's meeting is noteworthy because the league year starts today at 3 p.m. CDT. Soon, teams will be able to officially sign free agents from other teams and they will also be allowed to resume making trades. Peterson has not publicly requested a trade or to be released.
Peterson's future with the Vikings has been uncertain since he was charged with child abuse in September and placed on the exempt list. Peterson said last month that he felt "uneasy" about a possible return to the Vikings, citing a perceived lack of support from the organization.
The Vikings, meanwhile, have been maintaining publicly that they would like Peterson to remain on the team this season. That included a public endorsement from Mark Wilf last month.
The Wilfs got their chance to tell Peterson how they felt yesterday. We'll see what happens next.
USA Today first reported yesterday's meeting between the Vikings and Peterson.
