Trade speculation surrounding Percy Harvin is rampant with the new league year set to begin March 12, but Minnesota Vikings teammate Adrian Peterson said Tuesday there's no way he'd trade the wide receiver if it was his call to make.
Peterson made his comments Tuesday in an interview with KFAN-FM in Minneapolis when he was asked whether he thought the Vikings would deal Harvin this offseason.
"To be honest with you, I don't know if we will or not. But me, individually, and giving you my opinion, I wouldn't trade him for nothing," Peterson said.
Harvin badly sprained his left ankle on Nov. 4 at Seattle and didn't play again. The Vikings placed him on season-ending injured reserve a month later. He started playing like a Most Valuable Player award candidate, leading the league in total yards (receiving, rushing and returning) through nine games in 2012 until he was hurt.
Peterson, who won the MVP award after his 2,097-yard season, said Harvin is too special a talent to trade away.
"To do the the things that he's able to do, I don't think there will be a player able to do it better than him. Ever," he said.
Harvin made waves last summer when he expressed unhappiness with the organization and requested a trade. By the time training camp arrived, he had simmered down. He went home to Florida for his rehabilitation after he was placed on injured reserve, but coach Leslie Frazier downplayed his absence, noting that others have chosen to do the same.
Peterson said he believes Harvin and the Vikings can overcome the recent drama in their relationship.
"I haven't really had the opportunity to talk to him much. But I always look at what you can get from a person, and I know it comes with, 'OK, you gotta deal with this, or deal with that,' but I always feel like that person can overcome whatever it is that they might be struggling with," he said.
Despite his season ending in early November, Harvin still led the Vikings in receptions (62) and yards receiving (677) despite playing barely half of a season. He also had a kickoff return for a touchdown, as well as 96 yards rushing and one score on the ground.
The 24-year-old Harvin has 7,168 all-purpose yards in his four-season career with 29 touchdowns (20 receiving, five return, four rushing). He also has 280 receptions in 54 career games.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.