AP

With so many veteran running backs clamoring for new contracts and either holding out or threatening to do so, why isn’t Vikings running back Adrian Peterson doing the same thing?

“I’m pretty much in a good position right now,” Peterson told 105.3 the Fan in Dallas, via SportsRadioInterviews.com. “I’m kind of in the driver’s seat, so I just decided, hey, it’s my last year of the contract, I’ll stay faithful to it and I’m going to go out and focus on doing what I can do to help this team win a championship. . . . Everything else will work out on its own.”

Peterson is in the driver’s seat because he’s due to make $10.7 million in 2011. This means that it would cost the Vikings $12.84 million to hold Peterson in place with the franchise tag in 2012, giving Peterson a two-year take of $23.5 million.

If, of course, the Vikings use the franchise tag, Peterson can stay away from all offseason workouts and training camp and the preseason and show up right before Week One and sign the tender and collect the full amount of his salary.

The smart move for the Vikings could be to trade Peterson next March, if not sooner. But that would require a trade partner who is willing to give a jaw-dropping contract to a hard-running tailback who is likely closer to the end of his prime than the start of it.