EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said the team is prohibited from speaking directly with Adrian Peterson while he is suspended by the NFL. But when asked about the running back's future in Minnesota, Spielman said, "I don't know if there's a team in the NFL that wouldn't want Adrian Peterson.

Adrian Peterson still has value, but the Vikings have much cheaper alternatives. AP Photo/Tom Gannam

"There's no question on what Adrian Peterson has done for this organization on the field, and what he is as a football player," Spielman said in a news conference with Minnesota reporters on Wednesday. "I think people tend to forget, Adrian did make a mistake, he admitted he made a mistake, he went through the process in the court system. He is currently suspended by the NFL right now, but he's done a lot of positive things in this community as well. I've been here his whole career. I know what type of person Adrian is. But I also know that we have to follow everything that's put in place for us. Is there a resolution? Not right now. All I know is where we stand today."

The running back cannot be reinstated until April 15 under the current terms of his suspension, and the NFL Players Association is suing the league on Peterson's behalf to get him back into the league sooner than that. Peterson, who will be 30 in March and is scheduled to carry a $15.4 million cap figure in 2015, could need to restructure his contract to fit with the Vikings -- or any team -- next season. He said in an interview with ESPN last month he didn't think he needed to take a pay cut, and it remains to be seen where he will play next season.

Spielman, though, said he doesn't doubt the 2012 NFL MVP will excel next year.

"Everybody talked about, 'Well, he's not going to be the same after his ACL [injury in 2011].' That was his best year, coming back from that," Spielman said. "Knowing Adrian, I know he's going to play at a very high level when he comes back. I'm anticipating that, just knowing Adrian and what he's done in the past."

Spielman's comments echoed what coach Mike Zimmer said in his season-ending news conference on Dec. 30, when he said of Peterson," I think he’d add value to any team, to be honest with you. I think the kid’s a heck of a football player."

There will be those who parse Spielman's comments in light of his oft-repeated refrain from the 2012 offseason, when he said the Vikings have "no intent" of trading Percy Harvin. If the general manager wanted to end speculation about Peterson's future in Minnesota, he could have declared the Vikings will welcome the running back's return to their roster as soon as he's reinstated by the league. But that wouldn't be the most prudent move from a football standpoint, with so many details about Peterson's future still unresolved. The Vikings got 1,108 yards out of Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon in Peterson's absence this season, and depending on what they do with Peterson, they could look to add a running back in a deep draft class.

There's little question about Peterson's singular talents on the field, but the Vikings' ability to get decent production at a fraction of the cost could depress Peterson's value from a financial standpoint. It still seems as though the fulcrum for this whole thing might be Peterson's willingness to restructure his contract in Minnesota, and that could depend on the state of the running back's relationship with the team come the time of his reinstatement. So here we sit, with the uncertainty about Peterson's future in Minnesota likely to linger for several more months.