Vikings sign WR Jennings

Greg Jennings is the latest defector from Green Bay to Minnesota, agreeing to terms on a reported five-year contract.

The Vikings agreed to terms of a contract with free agent receiver Greg Jennings. It is a five year deal, according to reports.

Jennings arrived in the Twin Cities on Thursday to meet with Vikings officials and dine with head coach Leslie Frazier, general manager Rick Spielman, assistant general manager George Paton and defensive end Jared Allen. He met with other Vikings players on Friday and his representatives began negotiations in earnest at that time.

Jennings was the last remaining of the receivers on the market who were considered top tier. Dwayne Bowe re-signed with the Kansas City Chiefs before free agency started and Mike Wallace signed with the Miami Dolphins on the opening day of free agency.

Jennings reportedly turned down an offer from the Packers during the season that averaged about $10 million per year, and receivers like Vincent Jackson, Bowe and Harvin are all averaging between $11 million and $12 million per year. Financial terms of the deal weren’t immediately available.

Jennings will turn 30 in September, making him older than the typical free agent the Vikings usually look to sign, and injuries derailed his 2012 season, when he played in only eight games, starting five with 36 receptions for 366 yards. In each of his previous six seasons with the Packers, Jennings had started 13 or more games, registering three 1,000-yard campaigns from 2008 to 2010. In 2008, he set career highs with 80 catches for 1,292 yards. In 2010, he had 76 catches for 1,265 yards and a career-best 12 touchdowns.

For his seven-year career, Jennings has caught 425 passes for 6,537 yards (15.4-yard average) and 53 touchdowns.

The Vikings’ need at receiver was obvious, especially after trading Percy Harvin to Seattle. They re-signed Jerome Simpson to a two-year contract, but he and Jarius Wright were the only two wide receivers returning with more than 10 catches – Simpson had 26 and Wright 22 last year.

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