Has Adrian Peterson played his last game in Minnesota?
The Minnesota Vikings were dealt yet another significant injury blow Wednesday when news broke that Adrian Peterson would require surgery on his torn meniscus.
Rather than escaping with a trim procedure that could've allowed him to return in a matter of weeks, the veteran running back is thought to require a full repair. He's reportedly facing a three-to-four month recovery as a result, leaving him hopeful he can return in time for the playoffs.
Peterson is the definition of a physical freak. If there's anyone that's going to return on the short side of a lengthy projected return timeline, and look like he hasn't missed a beat, it's undoubtedly the Vikings superstar.
But with the possibility looming he could miss the rest of the 2016 season, it's fair to wonder whether his time in Minnesota will soon come to an end.
Peterson, who will turn 32 in March, is under contract next season for what amounts to an $18-million team option. The Vikings aren't going to pay him a salary approaching that of starting quarterbacks, and there isn't a well-run NFL team that would trade for that contract.
So before a $6-million roster bonus kicks in on the third day of the new league year, Rick Spielman and the rest of the front office will have a decision to make.
A renegotiation is possible if the two sides are set on having Peterson finish his career with the team that drafted him. Effectively squashing all rumors suggesting a split upon his return from a 2014 suspension, a multi-year deal was struck to satisfy all parties.
It's not always that easy, though.
As the Vikings continue to build one of the league's youngest and most talented rosters, hanging onto an aging running back - even at 50 percent of the salary he's due next year - is the opposite of sensible. The risk becomes all the more clear considering he has 2,412 career rushing attempts and averaged just 1.6 yards per carry through two games to start his 10th NFL season.
Minnesota would have the option to either move forward with Jerick McKinnon as the feature back, or capitalize on a draft class boasting the strongest group of running backs in recent memory.
Either way, as odd as it may be, it appears increasingly possible Peterson finds himself on the open market next spring. While Ezekiel Elliott's presence puts the longstanding talk surrounding Peterson's fit with the Dallas Cowboys to a merciful rest, there would undoubtedly be a number of teams eager to check in.
After all, this is the same Hall of Fame talent who fell just 8 yards shy of Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record in the 2012 season that followed a major knee injury.
He may well come back from this setback with the same vengeance and once again defy the odds. It would be borderline irresponsible to rule that out in his case. Just don't be surprised if he becomes the latest all-time great to be sent packing as his career winds down.
It happens to the best of them.