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Adrian Peterson wants to remain with Vikings but also eyeing Giants, Bucs, Texans

The Minnesota Vikings could look a lot different next season if they decide to move on from Adrian Peterson.

Peterson has an unwieldy salary-cap number and could be a victim of cost coming off an injury-decimated season and set to turn 32 in March. He told ESPN’s “First Take” that he wants to remain with the team in 2017 but has a list of teams he would prefer to play for in case he’s let go.

“I see myself in purple. A lot has to take place,” Peterson said on Thursday. “I see myself finishing off in purple. It is a business at the end of the day, so with that, things could end up differently. … Hopefully we can work things out.”

Adrian Peterson says he wants to be back with the Minnesota Vikings but has a few teams in mind if he's not. (AP)
Adrian Peterson says he wants to be back with the Minnesota Vikings but has a few teams in mind if he’s not. (AP)

Peterson’s preference would be to go to a team that has a chance to compete for the Super Bowl — ideally one with a good defense, a good offensive scheme and a great coaching staff. His list includes the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his hometown Houston Texans.

“There’s a couple teams out there that I’ve thought about. … New York was one of them that popped up, Tampa Bay, lot of different teams. Houston would be a good spot,” Peterson said. “I’ll stop right there. … I’m just throwing random names out there.”

Peterson almost certainly would need to restructure his contract to remain with the Vikings, and that would need to happen prior to the start of the league year on March 9. The Vikings have a team option for an $11.75 million base salary and a $6 million roster bonus, neither of which they are likely inclined to pick up. They would owe him the $6 million roster-bonus portion if he remains on the roster three days after the start of the new league year.

His 2016 season was cut short by surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee in late September. Although Peterson returned earlier than expected in Week 15, he played in only one game down the stretch and totaled 72 rush yards and 37 carries with zero touchdowns on the season.

Peterson believes he has “five years” remaining as a premiere back. That might be optimistic, as only four backs in NFL history have combined for six seasons with 1,000 or more rushing yards past the age of 33, per Pro Football Reference. One of them was the Indianapolis Colts’ Frank Gore this past season (1,075 rush yards), but the last time it happened prior to that was John Riggins in 1984.

Still, Peterson says he’s motivated to bounce back wherever he lands and is ready to prove doubters wrong again, just as he did in his MVP season of 2012 coming off a torn ACL.

“I have a mindset to be my best,” he said. “Going into the next season, I’ll be ready to roll.”

Would the Texans make sense? Perhaps if the price was right. There’s still talk they could pursue a veteran quarterback such as Tony Romo and have somewhere in the neighborhood of $25 million in salary-cap space. Peterson and Romo on a team struggling to score points? Uh, that might be fun.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!