MINNEAPOLIS -- On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings begin their two-year tenancy at TCF Bank Stadium, their temporary home before they move into their new stadium at the former site of the Metrodome in 2016.

The architectural drawings of that stadium have prominently featured running back Adrian Peterson, even if there were already signs before Friday that Peterson might not be with the team by the time its $1 billion facility opens. Peterson's age (29), his three-year streak of offseason surgeries and his $14.4 million cap figure in 2014, along three more years left on his deal after this season, suggested he could be on his way out before the Vikings return to downtown Minneapolis. Now there is reason to wonder if the transition could happen sooner, though.

Peterson will not play in the Vikings' home opener on Sunday after a grand jury indicted him on one count of injuring his son in an act of corporal punishment that Peterson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, said was meant to discipline the boy rather than harm him. Peterson's intentions could be debated in court, and if his case goes to trial, a jury will have to determine whether his actions exceeded the reasonable standard by which Texas law allows corporal punishment. That trial, Montgomery County first assistant district attorney Phil Grant said on Saturday, might not take place until next year. But in the meantime, Peterson's football future sits n the hands of a team that quickly realized it needed to keep the running back off the field two days after the indictment.

General manager Rick Spielman left his options open in an interview with ESPN's Sal Paolantonio on Sunday morning, saying, "We are, as an organization, still in the process of gathering information, and at the end of the weekend we will discuss what we will do going forward. You don’t want to make any knee-jerk reactions. All options are on the table. You can’t take any options off the table because we’re still gathering information.”

Will the Vikings have been able to do enough research to feel comfortable putting Peterson back on the field for next Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, knowing such a move would essentially look like they gave him a one-game penalty? And then there's the NFL's side of things to consider, especially with the league trying to restore public faith in its personal conduct policy after a week of embarrassing headlines about its handling of Ray Rice's domestic violence case. Though the NFL has typically waited for the legal process to conclude before ruling on player discipline, it reacted in the face of public pressure on Rice, and could see Peterson's case as its first opportunity to prove its commitment to tougher domestic violence penalties.

One way or the other, it seems likely Peterson will have to clear a high standard to get back on the field soon, and even if he does, the Vikings will have to factor his legal issues into their calculations about how much longer they can afford to make a 29-year-old running back their highest-paid player -- the only running back in the league with a cap figure more than $10 million. And though there is a dearth of elite running backs in the league, any team that would think about trading for Peterson would deal with the same questions -- and just four (Jacksonville, the New York Jets, Cleveland and Philadelphia) have enough cap space to absorb his salary.

However things play out with Peterson, it seems more likely than ever that the Vikings will see a preview of their future on Sunday. They'd already planned to convert some of Peterson's carries to screen passes, talked about diversifying their offense and spent a third-round pick on running back Jerick McKinnon. If the Vikings were already in the process of reducing their reliance on Peterson, Sunday's game against the New England Patriots would provide a good measure of their progress.

To be clear, this indictment isn't the end for Peterson. Hardin (who successfully defended Roger Clemens) told ESPN's Pedro Gomez in an email that Peterson will aggressively fight the charge, and in an issue as personal and particular as parenting style, Peterson could have a solid case. But his involvement in such a polarizing issue, so soon after Rice's suspension, is only another potential catalyst in his possible departure from Minnesota. As the Vikings begin their two-year stay at a temporary home on Sunday, it's easier than ever to envision their offense in a state of change, too.