MANKATO, Minn. -- With Adrian Peterson behind him, practicing in pads for the first time in more than 10 months, and the Minnesota Vikings' new stadium less than a year from opening, team president Mark Wilf said on Tuesday he's never been more optimistic about the team in the 10 years since his family purchased it.
"The optimism comes not just so much from the talent, but also what we have organizationally and structurally," Wilf said. "We have a GM (Rick Spielman), a coach (Mike Zimmer) and a coaching staff we believe in. We feel we have a pool of talent, but (there's) a lot of hard work to get where we want to go."
Peterson's return has boosted expectations around the Vikings, who went 7-9 last season with Peterson missing all but one game and are preparing for their second season with Zimmer and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The Vikings restructured Peterson's contract last week, guaranteeing his 2015 salary and adding a $7 million injury guarantee for 2016. Wilf, who was among the first Vikings officials to voice support for Peterson's return in February, said he was happy to see Peterson once again on the field after his suspension last year.
"He's had a long history here with the Vikings and the community," Wilf said. "We know the kind of person Adrian is. That's all in the rear-view mirror, as far as some of that stuff goes, and we're looking forward to him being a big part of our team going forward."
Peterson took part in the Vikings' first padded practice of training camp on Tuesday afternoon, practicing in full gear for the first time since he was indicted on child injury charges last Sept. 12. He played one game last season, in the Vikings' 34-6 win over the St. Louis Rams in Week 1.
"It felt pretty good, getting back into the swing of things and feeling a little contact," Peterson said. "It was fun. I've been looking forward to it for a long time.
"That's the thing about the family I've been around -- the guys, they've been supporting me. It was such an unfortunate situation, but when you're family, and they know you -- it's like, some of you guys, I don't know you, so I wouldn't pass judgment based off what I've heard and what I've seen. That's just the type of world we live in. But these guys have known me around here, obviously. As soon as I came back, it was the same respect you'd give (linebacker) Chad Greenway -- guys that have been here."