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Adrian Peterson complains about contract situation, looks even worse

Adrian Peterson is an all-time great football player, but he's not coming off well this offseason.

The rumors that he wanted to be traded didn't come out of nowhere. Let's understand that. But now he's doing a 180 and acting like he never wanted out, that he actually just wanted more stability from Minnesota Vikings and "Go Vikings" and whatnot. Sure. What a coincidence that this turn came after Vikings coach Mike Zimmer basically told him there was no way he was playing with anyone else.

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For some reason Peterson thinks that his 2014, with only one game played because of a messy legal situation that involved injuring his young son when he disciplined him with a switch, should lead to the Vikings giving him more guaranteed money. Which is crazy. Much crazier than his request to be traded, actually.

Peterson took to Twitter to try to set the record straight, with a long series of tweets.

In general, Peterson is right. NFL players should get as much as they can when they can get it. Their careers are short and they play a dangerous game. So when a player has leverage, take advantage of it.

To repeat: When. A. Player. Has. Leverage. Peterson has none right now.

Peterson is getting paid $12.75 million this season, and for all intents and purposes that's guaranteed because the Vikings aren't cutting him this year (if they did, good luck to Peterson finding a better deal at this point). His $14.75 million salary for 2016 is not guaranteed. That's pretty much life for anyone in the NFL, and probably should be the same for a player who appeared in one game last season, and got paid for most of the year while he was on the commissioner's exempt list. Peterson signed that contract which is an incredible deal for a running back in this era with that non-guaranteed money, by the way.

And yes, NFL contracts are one-sided. That stinks for the players. But, through the NFLPA, that's what they signed off on. In a perfect world the union would battle the NFL for more guaranteed deals, like Major League Baseball and the NBA has for far less dangerous sports. But that hasn't happened. That's the world Peterson lives in. It's not fair, really. But that's what it is. And Peterson comparing his situation, where he's practically assured of making $12.75 million this year (again, a phenomenal amount of cash for a running back these days), to others who have been cut when their usefulness runs out, is just incorrect. The situation he's referencing has almost nothing to do with his own.

It this all unfair? In Peterson's case ... no. He missed most of last year because he got in legal trouble, and whether you think he got a raw deal or if he didn't get punished enough, I think we can all agree he didn't do anything over the past year to earn $14.75 million more in guaranteed money. Peterson has acted like a victim through his whole ordeal. It's a bit odd.

I'm not sure what Peterson thinks he'll get out of this rant. I have a tough time believing the Vikings guarantee his salary for next year. He does have "free will," so he can retire and pass up the $40-plus million left on his contract. A few NFL players retired this offseason. That's his right. But he's in no position to ask for a better contract right now. Maybe if he has another vintage Peterson season he can then hold some cards to force the Vikings to improve his deal. But he doesn't now. All that one of the greatest players ever is doing is looking petty as he battles for something he's in no position to ask for.

UPDATE: But wait, there's more! Peterson returned later on Thursday night to say that all of this is just because he is frustrated that the union could not get guaranteed contracts four years ago when it negotiated the CBA. Huh.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!