Adrian Peterson meets with Vikings, still has concerns

Adrian Peterson says he had "a great dialogue" with Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on Wednesday.

But their meeting apparently didn't resolve all of Peterson's concerns about he and his family returning to Minnesota after a season derailed by legal problems and a fight with the NFL that isn't resolved either.

"I appreciate Rick and Coach Zimmer coming down to see me today," Peterson said in a statement issued through his agency, Relativity Sports.

"We had a great dialogue and they were able to understand where I was coming from, concerns my family and I still have. We respect each other and hopefully the situation can pan out so that everyone involved is content."

Zimmer and Spielman huddled with their embattled superstar for about 4 hours Wednesday afternoon at Peterson's home north of Houston. Photographers captured Spielman and Zimmer leaving together, dressed in sport coats and blue jeans.

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It was the first face-to-face meeting in months -- direct communication that was barred until last week, when a federal judge ruled in Peterson's favor and the NFL moved the 2012 MVP from the suspended list to the commissioner's exempt list.

Peterson, 29, has expressed reservations for months about going back to Minnesota after the controversy surrounding his felony indictment for injuring his 4-year-old son while disciplining him with a wooden switch and subsequent no-contest plea to a misdemeanor.

But he has yet to publicly ask for a trade or issue any ultimatums, leaving open the possibility the Vikings – namely Zimmer, who was Peterson's most vocal supporter outside of players during a lost season – could mend fences and convince him to stay.

He's under contract through 2017, and the Vikings have made clear their priority is to bring him back. However, rules permit the team to release Peterson or restructure his contract now. Trades are permitted starting Tuesday, when the 2015 league year begins.

Peterson is scheduled to make $12.75 million in base salary and a $250,000 workout bonus in 2015 – none of it guaranteed – and all indications are he wouldn't consider a pay cut. His compensation is scheduled to rise to $15 million in 2016 and at least $18 million in 2017.

U.S. District Court Judge David S. Doty last week vacated the arbitration award that upheld Peterson's suspension, with reinstatement no sooner than April 15.

The league has appealed the decision and announced Peterson will be on the exempt list pending a decision by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and further proceedings in front of appeals officer Harold Henderson.

That could push the NFL and the union towards a settlement that would reinstate Peterson sooner than later.

Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero.