This afternoon on ESPN’s television show First Take, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson named the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as one of three teams he would potentially like to play for if he does not return to Minnesota – the others being the Houston Texans and New York Giants.

Peterson is due to make almost $18 million in salary and bonuses next season, which starts with a $6 million roster bonus that kicks in on March 11. If the Vikings were to cut Peterson before then, that would open up $18 million on their salary cap, which would give them about $37 million of cap room to work with this offseason.

If he was to be cut and the Buccaneers were to sign him, it would be under a new deal for less than the $18 million rate he has right now.

Peterson is currently 31 years old (he’ll be 32 by the time training camp starts). In his first seven seasons in the NFL, he rushed for over 1,000 yards (including a 2,000 yard rushing season in 2010) all but once. However, since then, he’s had two injury-riddled seasons, first in 2014 (groin), then this past year in 2016 (torn meniscus). Not to mention his torn ACL in 2011, which he recovered from at a super-human rate.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went from being 5th in the NFL in rushing in 2015 to 24th in 2016. Peterson should go into 2017 fully healthy, and the Buccaneers do have the third-most cap space in the NFL going into the offseason at $84 million, but there are a few obstacles in the way before his wishes of playing for Tampa Bay could come true.

The biggest would be what the Bucs would do with their recently-suspended franchise back, Doug Martin. Now that Martin has been suspended, none of his 5-year, $35 million dollar deal that he signed last offseason is guaranteed. That makes moving on from him easier financially, but will they be wiling to do that to a player who is the 4th leading rusher in franchise history (who is also four years younger than Peterson).

Could this knowledge of Peterson’s interest change how the Buccaneers approach their current running back situation?

Or better yet, should it?