To Trade or Not to Trade ...

The thought of whether or not to trade a team's best players during a down year is a common topic on local sports radio.

The question is most often asked in Major League Baseball where, as the trade deadline nears, teams are labeled as 'buyers' or 'sellers,' with the focus on an effort to either make a post-season run or re-load for the future.

The trading of stars also happens reasonably regularly in the NHL, where an individual can have a huge impact on a team's success.  This writer, for example, would highly encourage the Buffalo Sabres to trade All-Stars Ryan Miller and Tomas Vanek as opposed to letting them rot away on the worst team in the league, but that's for another article.

The question this article asks is, in general, do owners or teams 'owe' it to their aging All-Star talent to trade them to a contender if it's clear the team is in a rebuilding year?

More specifically, do the Minnesota Vikings owe it to Adrian Peterson?

In just 6½ seasons, Peterson has nearly 9,400 yards and is averaging 5.0 yards a carry. In a previous era -- one where quarterbacks were allowed to get hit and didn't throw the ball 50+ times a game -- Peterson might have gone on to be the best running back ever. As it is, at 28 years of age, Peterson is nearing that magical 30-year-old mark where most running backs fall off the productivity cliff.

After years of Pro Bowl service, Peterson and his Vikings finally made the NFL Playoffs last year. That taste of post-season play must have been wonderful for a competitor like Peterson. However, this year the Vikings will return to oblivion again, and their messy quarterback situtation has them in the argument for worst team in the league.

So, do the Vikings owe it to Peterson to trade him to a contender?

In this case, in the NFL, the answer is yes.

The average NFL career is so short, especially compared to other sports, and the Vikings are a bad team. Peterson's 'championship window' is closing fast and he has no chance to win in Minnesota any time soon. He has given up his body and potential long term health for a chance at glory. The Vikings should give him that chance.

Perhaps a 'trade' to the Packers after a one-year layover with the New York Jets?

Click on a photo to enlarge.