MAPLE GROVE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said he is excited to have running back Adrian Peterson back with the team, adding he has never felt more optimistic about the state of the franchise since his family bought the team in 2005.
Sitting in a patio chair at the Vikings Children's Fund Golf Tournament at Rush Creek Golf Club on Wednesday afternoon, Wilf made his first extensive public comments since the Vikings put Peterson on the commissioner's exempt list on Sept. 17. That decision, which came in response to harsh sponsorship reaction to the Vikings' initial decision to let Peterson play, began the running back's 8 1/2-month absence from the team.
Peterson, who played just one game last season, questioned the team's support for him in an ESPN interview in February. He flew to New York to meet with Zygi Wilf and his brother Mark (the Vikings' co-owner and team president) in March.
But after Peterson's return to the team last week, Wilf struck a positive tone on Wednesday.
"He's always been part of the team, and we're very excited he's coming with great enthusiasm, and a great heart as he's always had," Wilf said. "It's great to see the players respond to him being there. It's all good for the team. We're very happy for him being back with us. We're just moving on with the optimism that he brings, along with everyone else."
Wilf would not address his meeting with Peterson in New York, saying he would keep the conversation between himself and the running back. In February, Peterson had said he was uneasy about returning to the Vikings, calling the decision to put him on the commissioner's exempt list an "ambush." The running back also had misgivings about Vikings chief operating officer Kevin Warren; ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported in November that Peterson's camp believed Warren was working with the league to keep the running back off the field for the rest of the 2014 season. Warren was promoted to COO in February.
Several Vikings officials, including Warren, made public comments at that time in support of Peterson's return, and the team maintained it would not trade Peterson. The Vikings' belief the 2012 NFL MVP would ultimately return was rewarded last week.
"When you know the character of that person, you believe in them," Wilf said. "You move on. We know that his excitement and his heart will make this team better. You can see it by how the other players respond to him. We're excited about that, and everything else that's going on with the team. It gives us tremendous optimism for the future."
The Vikings will move into their new billion-dollar stadium in downtown Minneapolis next season -- Wilf said the Vikings could make an announcement about naming rights for the stadium this summer -- and could be a trendy playoff pick after going 7-9 without Peterson last season. Wilf stayed away from a prediction about this year's team, as he said he's done since the 2007 season, but said the Vikings "absolutely" have a chance to be a Super Bowl contender.
"I've never been more optimistic since we owned the team, about our players, our coach, our organization and the direction we're headed," Wilf said. "One of our two goals was building a new stadium. [The other was] winning a championship. We're in the midst of doing both."