The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... A statement team officials issued didn’t expressly address the question of whether the Vikings can now speak directly to Peterson, who has been restored from suspended status to the Commissioner-Exempt list. Per a team source, they can.

Diehards Line:As PFT's Mike Florio notes, that’s a huge development for the Vikings, who hadn’t been able to make their case directly to Peterson as to why he should return for a ninth season with the team. Meanwhile, ESPN.com's Kevin Siefert reminded readers the Vikings have a history of trading star players when they are disgruntled. In the past 10 years, they have shipped away a Hall of Fame WR (Randy Moss, 2005), a franchise QB (Daunte Culpepper, 2006) and arguably their best player (Percy Harvin, 2012). Seifert added there are people in the Vikings' organization who desperately want him back, but there are others who are conflicted. Add their uncertainty to Peterson's public uneasiness, the outcome is hard to predict. If the Vikings want to keep him, their one bit of leverage is money. They almost certainly can (and would) pay him more than any other team to play in 2015. One last note for tonight: On Thursday, Adrian’s father, Nelson Peterson, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that the elder Peterson has heard “rumors” of three potential destinations for Adrian, Arizona, Indianapolis and Dallas. Nelson Peterson didn’t say who he heard the rumors from. All three teams make sense, and they mesh with rumors that have been making the rounds in league circles for the past few months.