Adrian Peterson is a running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Vikings seventh overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. Since then, he has been selected to six Pro Bowls and was named the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2007. He has also been selected as a first-team All-Pro four times and led the league in rushing yards three times.
In 2013, Peterson became embroiled in a child abuse scandal involving his 4-year old son. As a result, he was suspended for the final 15 games of that season. However, he returned to play all 16 games in 2014 and rushed for 1,485 yards, earning him second-team All-Pro honors.
Peterson's career total of 11,747 rushing yards ranks sixth all time in NFL history, and his 103 rushing touchdowns are tied for tenth place. In addition to his on-field success, Peterson is one of only seven players ever to be named NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in the same season (2012). He has also been given two Bert Bell Awards (most valuable player) and two AP Comeback Player of the Year Awards (2011 & 2012).
In terms of salary, Adrian Peterson made $36 million over his first six seasons in the NFL (2007-2012), which averaged out to $6 million per year. His base salary increased to $11.75 million for 2013 following his selection to the 2012 All-Pro team, but he did not receive any additional money because he was suspended for most of that season. In 2014, he signed a new contract with the Vikings worth $42 million over three years ($14 million per year), with $20 million guaranteed. So while Adrian Peterson's exact earnings will depend on how much playing time he gets each year and whether or not he reaches certain incentives written into his contract, we can estimate that he will make an average of around $13 million per year over the course of his current deal with Minnesota