Minnesota Vikings running Adrian Peterson has been informed that he will not be released this offseason.

A wise move by the Vikings considering they wouldn't get any value in return for the elite back if they were to do so. Peterson missed nearly all of last season because of his off the field incidents, but he's still considered one of the top backs in the league today.

According to multiple NFL reports, the Arizona Cardinals would be willing to trade for the 30-year-old running back.

The Cardinals would be a great fit to land Peterson for a number of reasons. The most glaringly obvious one is the big need for running back. Last season the Cardinals ranked 31st in rushing yards as a team. In 2013 the Cardinals ranked 23rd in rushing, and in 2012 they ranked dead last in rushing yards. You get the picture. The bottom line is this Cardinals team is a young and talented squad that hasn't been able to run the ball effectively in recent years.

Now here's where things get a little bit tricky. Peterson has three years remaining on his contract with the Vikings in which he is scheduled to count $47.4 million in cap hits. At first glance that seems like a lot, which it is for any running back, but the Cardinals are currently $9.1 million under the salary cap. As big of a cap hit as Peterson's contract is, it isn't long-term. This isn't anything like the Alex Rodriguez situation with the New York Yankees.

Although veteran quarterback Carson Palmer went undefeated last season for the Cardinals, there's only one problem: He only started six games. Last season the Cardinals offense ranked 24th in scoring and 24th in yards gained, which is pretty impressive considering the team still finished 11-5 and made the playoffs. Slightly overpaying for a superstar running back could at least give the Cardinals some consistency on offense in a tough NFC West with the Seattle Seahawks.

Future Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald recently restructured his contract with the Cardinals in order to save the team money. Fitzgerald is one of the best wide receivers in NFL history, but he knows time is running out if he wants that exclusive Super Bowl championship.

"Obviously, he's an MVP-caliber player. Everybody knows that. Any team he ends up with, or if he stays with the Vikings, is going to have a great back. If he was to come play here, it would obviously mean a tremendous amount for our ballclub," Fitzgerald said.

The Vikings have a chance to repeat history here, except this time they could come out on the better end. In 1989 they traded for Hershel Walker and gave the Dallas Cowboys eight draft picks and five players in return. Looking back, the Cowboys clearly got the better end of that trade. Trading away Peterson could give the Vikings enormous value in return. As good as Peterson is, the Vikings haven't been very successful with him not having won the NFC North since 2009.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have also shown a lot of interest in Peterson. The Jaguars could very well be a trade option for the Vikings because they play in the AFC, and they have a lot of salary cap space. The Dallas Cowboys may still be in the race, but rumors have slowly quieted down from their end.

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