Vikings notes: Spielman expects Peterson will come back with something to prove

INDIANAPOLIS – General Manager Rick Spielman doesn't just expect running back Adrian Peterson to be back playing for the Vikings this fall.

"I expect that when Adrian Peterson comes back that he's going to come back with a point to prove to everybody," Spielman said.

Taking his turn on the podium at the NFL scouting combine, Spielman reiterated to a roomful of reporters and representatives from other teams that the Vikings "expect" to have Peterson in purple this season. That statement was a subtle nudge forward from a month ago, when Spielman simply said he wanted Peterson back.

And Spielman believes Peterson will be physically fresh and motivated by the questions about his ability to continue performing at a Pro Bowl level after he turns 30 next month. He compared the coming season to 2012, when Peterson returned from a major knee injury to threaten the NFL single-season rushing record.

"This is a running back that's very unique from a physical standpoint and you're talking about a guy that didn't take many hits on his body last year and played only one game," Spielman said.

Consider that a warning to any NFL linebackers and safeties who were sitting in on Spielman's news conference or watching it on TV at home.

Of course, more hurdles might need to be cleared for Peterson to play for the Vikings this season. Will the NFL reinstate him from suspension when he first becomes eligible on April 15? Will the Vikings request he slash his $12.75 million salary to stick around? Is Peterson himself interested in returning to the team in the first place?

Spielman seems to be more confident about the situation than he was a month ago, and he feels fans are ready to welcome Peterson back, too.

"I think as you go through this, time heals things," Spielman said. "People judge right away, but you have to look at what type of person Adrian is and look at the whole picture and a lot of the great things he has done off the field and for charities and our organization."

Quarterback Matt Cassel is slated to make $4.75 million in the final season of his two-year contract, making him one of the league's more expensive backups. The Vikings discussed Cassel and his contract when evaluating the roster after the season, and while he didn't say it definitively, Spielman hinted that Cassel would return to back up starter Teddy Bridgewater in 2015.

"Matt's done a great job," he said. "He came in and won some games when he had to play and he's a great locker room guy. Matt adds a lot of value to us."

With free agent quarterback Christian Ponder heading out the door, Spielman said the Vikings will be in the market for a developmental third quarterback to groom. That player could be a free agent or one of the draft-eligible passers who will throw here on Saturday.

"Uhhh, that would be a pretty good assumption," Spielman said with a laugh.

The league announced last week that the Vikings would play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Hall of Fame Game, the official preseason opener for the NFL, on August 9.

Spielman said the Vikings were excited to get the invite, not only because they will get an extra preseason game to develop young players but also because it will allow them to spend a third week in Mankato for training camp, something he feels is "invaluable."

"We thought it was a great opportunity," he said.