IRVING, Texas -- Now that U.S. District Court Judge David Doty has cleared the way for Adrian Peterson to possibly be reinstated to the NFL, the future of the Minnesota Vikings running back should start to come into focus.

The Dallas Cowboys have been viewed as a natural landing spot for Peterson, a Palestine, Texas, native, but several obstacles are in the way: age and price.

Though there is no doubt Peterson is one of the best -- if not the best -- runner in the NFL, the possibility of any team making a trade with Minnesota is difficult. From a financial standpoint, it would work for the Vikings to either cut or trade Peterson, but if a team deals for the running back it has to be able to assume a $12.75 million base salary in 2015.

Given that the Cowboys are ready to assume a $13 million price tag on Dez Bryant with the franchise tag, the Cowboys would have to make several moves that free up salary-cap room that will impact their decisions in the future.

If the Vikings release Peterson, who has said last week he is "still uneasy" about returning to the team in 2015 because of how the team dealt with his legal situation, then the Cowboys -- or any team -- could structure a contract in a way that would make it possible for the 2012 NFL Most Valuable Player to return to his home state.

But he won’t be coming for free, and the Cowboys have expressed a desire to be more financially sound than they have in the past.

The Cowboys have repeatedly stated their desire to build through the draft. Though the possible addition of Peterson would make an already strong offense even stronger, it would likely hurt the Cowboys' ability to improve the defense because of the draft pick or picks it would take for any team to acquire Peterson.

Even the possibility of Peterson joining the Cowboys, however, could affect the team’s discussions with DeMarco Murray, who led the NFL with 1,845 yards rushing. Coach Jason Garrett has made clear his desire to retain Murray, as has Jerry Jones.

With his first and likely last chance to cash in after playing out his rookie contract, Murray is the best runner available currently. If Peterson becomes available, then Murray would be viewed differently, and teams that had been prepared to make strong pitches for him might turn their attention to Peterson instead.