EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.  — Adrian Peterson declared himself fit to play several more seasons in the NFL, even if that’s elsewhere from Minnesota.

The 31-year-old Peterson finished with only 72 yards on 37 rushes over three games, a torn meniscus in his right knee responsible for an abbreviated 10th season with the Vikings that might well have been his last. He acknowledged savoring the fans and his teammates more than usual the past few days.

“I’d be lying to you to say that I haven’t thought about, ‘Well, what if we’re not able to work things out?’” Peterson said Monday in the locker room as players packed up for the winter.

Peterson returned for the Dec. 18 game against Indianapolis only to be sidelined again the last two weeks after aggravating his knee. Carrying an $18 million salary cap hit on his contract for 2017, Peterson is uncertain to come back at his age with the team’s other needs. He said he’d consider a reduced salary to return, which would probably be the only way for that to happen.

“There’s the reality that there comes a point in time where, yeah, the best thing to do is take a pay cut, and it might be in the best interest of the team as well,” Peterson said, adding: “I guess with the number being so high you could speculate and say that’s the case, but in due time I think we’ll cross that bridge.”

Just as Peterson refused to “write off” his time in Minnesota, he predictably said he sees himself playing another five to seven years.

“And it’s going to be at a high level,” Peterson said.

Even if the Vikings remained in postseason contention, Peterson said, he was unable to play the last two weeks because of the re-injury that actually occurred two days before his return to game action. With the meniscus 90 percent torn from the fateful Sept. 18 play against Green Bay, he said a minor operation to trim the cartilage and get him back sooner was not an option.

“I feel like since I’ve been here I’ve done a lot of things to show my integrity when it comes to coming back on the field and working hard and to help my team win,” Peterson said, alluding to the swift 2012 comeback from ACL reconstruction and other lesser injuries. “It wasn’t any different when it came to the meniscus.”