It seems like the door has been closed for a while on Adrian Peterson returning next season to the Minnesota Vikings, but GM Rick Spielman didn't completely close that door with his recent comments.

As reported by ESPN.com's Ben Goessling, Spielman said the Vikings hadn't talked with Peterson or his agent about the current contract situation.

"Adrian Peterson has a significant contract coming up. We have to make a decision," Spielman said. "I'm not going to announce anything, but that will get addressed here before free agency starts. The one thing I will say is, if we don't exercise that option, we will always keep the door open on all of our players. But in my mind, regardless if Adrian is here or not here next year -- because of whatever happens -- he will always be a Minnesota Viking. If he's fortunate enough to go in the Hall of Fame, and fortunate enough to go in the [Vikings] Ring of Honor, in my mind, he's a Minnesota Viking."

After reading those comments, one can believe that the conversation may of not happened between the two parties and that there is admiration from the organization to their running back, but don't think for a second behind the scenes that both parties probably haven't made their mind up.

My contention has always been that the Vikings never were going to pick up the $18 million dollar cap hit on a declining running back and Peterson lives sometimes in a dream world where I'm not sure he thinks a significant pay cut is necessary.

All that said, stranger things have happened when a player realizes the open market and his true value and maybe Peterson would take that significant pay cut to stay in Minnesota.

The more likely scenario though is that Peterson is out and the Vikings look to youth to fill the backfield that was once owned by #28.

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