Former teammate wants Adrian Peterson to join him on New York Giants

March 11 (UPI) -- Rhett Ellison spent years running in front of future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson.

The former Minnesota Vikings fullback/tight end played five seasons with the four-time All Pro, before signing with the New York Giants. Peterson remains one of the top unsigned free agents.

Now Ellison wants a reunion with his old running mate.

And Peterson has shown interest in joining the Giants. The problem is that the veteran has yet to sign with anyone, allegedly due to his high asking price. But that hasn't stopped him from campaigning. He was one of the first people to call and congratulate Ellison on his four-year, $18 million deal Thursday.

Ellison told NJ Advance Media that Peterson is one of his "favorite guys."

"Of course, it would be great to have him with the Giants," Ellison told reporters. "But he hasn't told me. He has his own family to think about and what he wants to do. He's a great player, a great guy, great work ethic. It was a lot of fun to block for him."

The Giants had one of the NFL's worst rushing attacks last season, ranking No. 29 in the league. Paul Perkins, Shane Vereen, Orleans Darkwa, and George Winn are currently stocking its depth chart at the position.

Peterson previously mentioned the Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Giants as potential landing spots. He has also been linked to the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders, and Vikings.

On Wednesday, before the start of the new league year, ESPN's Adam Caplan reported that Peterson was more interested in joining the Oakland Raiders than the Raiders were in signing him. Interest has also cooled from the Texans, according to reports.

The 31-year-old isn't likely to sign at even half of the $18 million salary he was set to make this season for the Vikings.

Former Raiders running back Latavius Murray is expected to sign elsewhere as a free agent, leading the franchise to likely draft or sign a running back.

The Raiders ranked No. 6 in the NFL in rushing yards last season, but have since lost its leading tailback and fired its offensive coordinator.

Peterson led the NFL with 1,485 rushing yards in 2015, en route to his fourth All-Pro nod. The Giants have't had a running back run for more than 1,000 yards since Ahmad Bradshaw in 2012.