DA prepared for plea bargain in Peterson case

If it happens, a trial for Adrian Peterson would be months away. (USATSI)

‎Phil Grant, a Montgomery County, Texas assistant district attorney, said his office is willing to begin discussing a plea deal with Adrian Peterson.

Peterson was indicted on child abuse charges for allegedly striking a four-year old son repeatedly with a "switch." Grant said, "I wouldn't expect we'd go to trial" for at least six months, and he said such cases could take "up to 18 months" to reach trial.

At this point the Vikings are paying Peterson to stay on leave from the team, but that begs the question how long they would be willing to do that until making a decision to move on from him, with his contract very conducive to being terminated given its lack of future guaranteed money and low cap hit for cutting him.

Grant said it's conceivable the sides could begin plea talks even prior to Peterson's Oct. 8 arraignment date, "if they are interested in discussing a reasonable deal." Peterson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, made a statement early in the week about his desire to take the case to court, but perhaps talks could occur when these sides begin getting together for preliminary court dates.

One would imagine Peterson, the highest paid running back by far in the league, who is unlikely to get close to that kind of money on the open market if he is released, would want to resolve the case in shorter order if possible in hopes of playing again sooner rather than later, Hardin's statement notwithstanding.

NFL Hot News

Jets hopeful WR Eric Decker will play in Week 3



New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker appears optimistic about his ability to play Monday night against the Bears despite a hamstring injury. "Well, it's one day, my mentality is to take it one day at a time," Decker said. "I would love to play, so I am just making sure that we take the right steps. Don't do too much, but do enough to feel it out and make a decision once that day rolls around."When discussing Decker and CB Dee Milliner, head coach Rex Ryan seemed to convey optimism on their statuses. "Both of those guys, we will see how they progress," Ryan said. "They were not practicing [Wednesday], but we will see how they do. We're confident that they will be ready. We know that they are going to work to get out there. I'm confident, we'll see how it goes during the week, but I should say I guess I'm hopeful that they will play."Decker has nine catches for 137 yards through the first two weeks and caught his first touchdown in Week 2 versus Green Bay.



Decker was drafted by most fantasy players this summer as a WR3 and continues to be rated as such. With the right matchup, he could be a reach WR2. This week could be one of those games. The Bears' defense has been good, but with the loss of cornerback Charles Tillman, their secondary will be a little more susceptible than usual.Decker's participation in practice Friday and Saturday will be the best indicator of whether he will play on Monday night. If he's not a full participant later in the week, he'll probably be considered a game-time decision, and owners should find another option.