Tom Pelissero

USA TODAY Sports

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Adrian Peterson says he never wastes time thinking about what would have happened if he’d gotten his way out. And why would he?

It’s hard to imagine he’d be in a much better spot with another team than the Minnesota Vikings, who refused to let Peterson go after the tumult of 2014 and have ridden their 30-year-old star rusher into the postseason.

“It means a lot, man,” Peterson told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday during a break in preparations for Sunday’s wild-card game against the Seattle Seahawks.

“When I sit back and think on being out a whole season — and the whole wave of everything coming at me — and then I think about where I’m at now, it’s like, the team is in the playoffs with an opportunity to make a run for a Super Bowl, you led the league in rushing when, every time you step on the field, teams are focusing on stopping you ..."

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Peterson jabbed his fingers on a nearby desktop for emphasis before his voice trailed off. He paused, exhaled and added: “I sit back and thank God.”

This is far less a redemption story than a resumption story after a season lost to a mess of Peterson’s own making: a felony charge in Texas for injuring his 4-year-old son while disciplining the boy with a wooden switch, a no-contest plea to a reduced charge, an NFL suspension and a federal court fight with the league that remains in the appeals process.

After all that, Peterson wanted a fresh start, for him and his family. His agent publicly stumped for a trade. But Peterson also held on to the idea the Vikings were building something special with coach Mike Zimmer, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and a load of young talent on defense.

“I feel like we have what it takes to accomplish some big things,” Peterson said.

What the Vikings were missing as they went 7-9 last season was their best player — a rare athlete who drove the offense this season with a league-best 1,485 rushing yards (Peterson's third rushing crown) and 11 touchdowns on the way to 11 wins and the NFC North title.

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In many ways, Peterson is the Vikings' identity.

“He’s got great vision and great cuts,” Zimmer said. “He still has great speed, but he runs with such a violence. He brings a toughness to our football team as well, because of the way he runs.”

Said Peterson: “Guys see those 2- and 3-yard runs when guys have got me picked up, and my claw’s still in the ground, pressing forward. I know they feed off of it.”

It’s similar to how the Seahawks have been defined by Marshawn Lynch and the NFL’s preeminent defense, though the Vikings still have to prove they’re on that level. Seattle rolled 38-7 in the teams' previous meeting Dec. 6.

“Of course, we’ve got respect for them, because they have been in the last two Super Bowls, and their defense is good,” Peterson said. “But they have been beat, what, six times this year? So, you can get beat.”

The Vikings are healthier on defense than they were last month. And Peterson has been going through a battery of treatment — stretching, ultrasound, Graston Technique — to make sure the lower back problems that caused him to miss time in Week 17's NFC North title game against the Green Bay Packers won’t stop him Sunday.

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Peterson says his mother, Bonita Jackson, texted him after that game with the words: “God is good, son.” He brings up his faith a lot, too, saying God spoke to him through another of his seven children, Adrian Jr., during the uncertainty, once telling Peterson he wanted his father to play for the Vikings instead of the hometown Houston Texans or Dallas Cowboys.

“There wasn’t one day that went by that little Adrian wasn’t running around singing the Vikings song — ‘Skoooool Vikings,’” Peterson said. “I got to a point where I was able to just kind of relax and see things clearly and pray and ask God to work things out for me.

“So, here I am.”

Money matters

Among the topics in meetings between New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis before Payton announced he would stay with the team: How do they exit their cycle of salary cap problems?

According to NFL Players Association records, the Saints have about $155.9 million in salary cap commitments for 2016 — third-highest behind the Buffalo Bills ($158.3M) and Miami Dolphins ($157.1 million). The cap is projected to be around $150 million, and the Saints will have minimal space to roll over again.

Much focus has been devoted to Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who’s due $20 million next season with a cap number of $30 million in the final year of his deal. But there are others with big cap numbers: defensive end Cameron Jordan ($12.8M), safety Jairus Byrd ($10.9M), guard Jahri Evans ($8.2M), cornerbacks Keenan Lewis ($6.35M) and Brandon Browner ($6.3M), center Max Unger ($6M), receiver Marques Colston ($5.9M) and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe ($5.9M). Only Jordan isn’t age 29 or older.

Many of those cap figures are inflated from previous restructures that pushed cap problems into the future, meaning a portion of them would count against the cap even guys aren’t on the roster. Also not helping — the Saints will carry another $12.1 million in dead money on the cap in 2016 from releasing linebacker Junior Galette in July, months after extending his contract.

A full cap overhaul, such as those executed by the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars in recent years, surely isn’t palatable with Brees about to turn 37. Payton has two years left on his deal, and as long as Brees is around, the Saints will want to win now.

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Inside runs

— Don’t rule out Tom Coughlin returning to coaching, perhaps even in 2016. The former New York Giants coach will head to his home in Jacksonville next week, putting him a short plane ride away from one team that could target an experienced coach: the Dolphins.

— New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s ankle was sore early this week, but it won't keep him from playing in the divisional round after this week’s bye. Remember, Brady played through a painful ankle injury in Super Bowl XLII. He finished that game 29-of-48 for 266 yards and a touchdown, but the Patriots lost to the Giants 17-14.

— Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has never played the Packers. But Green Bay defensive lineman Mike Daniels, who played at Iowa, knows Cousins well from their Big Ten days. Michigan State won one of three meetings against Daniels' Hawkeyes, with Cousins throwing for 260 yards and three touchdowns as a senior in 2011 at Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium. “Everything he’s doing doesn’t surprise me,” Daniels told USA TODAY Sports this week. “It was only a matter of time, and he’s doing a great job leading them, and we have to make sure we go and play our best game.”

— Don’t overlook the potential return of Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari (ankle) after a two-week absence as a significant factor Sunday. One huge problem in last weekend’s loss to the Vikings was Green Bay's Josh Sitton, a solid guard who’d never played left tackle, couldn’t get off the ball, and Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen took advantage.

— Speaking during June’s minicamp on where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had improved, general manager Jason Licht said this unprompted: “If we did nothing, if we added no players in the draft and added no players in free agency, we’re a much better team right now with the simple hiring of Dirk Koetter.” The bar there was low since the Bucs didn’t really have an offensive coordinator in 2014 after Jeff Tedford left the team to undergo heart surgery before the season. But Licht’s high opinion of Koetter is one reason to believe in him as Lovie Smith’s successor.

— Win or lose Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the latest raid on Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis’ staff could kick off Sunday. Lewis lost two coordinators after 2013: Zimmer and Jay Gruden, who took the Vikings and Redskins to the playoffs this season, respectively. Current Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther have interviews lined up already. Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons might even be a dark horse.

— Other assistant coaches who haven’t been requested for interviews yet but figure to at least draw some interest after their teams play on wild-card weekend: Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and assistant head coach/offensive line Tom Cable, Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley and Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer.

— If Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson retires, the team would save the $15.95 million in cash he’s due as base salary 2016, when his cap number is scheduled to be $24.008 million. But they’d still have to count $12.921 million in dead money on the cap over one or two years, depending when the transaction is finalized — a product of several contract renegotiations under the previous regime.

Tom’s Top 10

(Last week’s ranking in parentheses)

1. Carolina Panthers (1): Depleted secondary, middling pass rush are two areas of concern.

2. Arizona Cardinals (2): Vikings might be toughest potential matchup in divisional round.

3. Seattle Seahawks (5): Beast Mode’s back. Will offense still revolve around Russell Wilson?

4. Denver Broncos (4): Even with Peyton Manning back, the defense drives their chances.

5. New England Patriots (3): Getting Julian Edelman back could be a game changer.

6. Cincinnati Bengals (6): Andy Dalton’s luck: If AJ McCarron beats Steelers, Dalton gets Pats.

7. Kansas City Chiefs (7): Last playoff win came at Houston … against the Oilers in January of '94.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (9): Another playoff game, another injured tailback. A lot rides on Big Ben.

9. Minnesota Vikings (unranked): Return of nose tackle Linval Joseph would be huge (pun intended).

10. New York Jets (8): Best team out of playoffs turns attention to offseason, solidifying quarterback position.

Dropped out: Green Bay Packers (10).

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