Thomas Ends Holdout

After missing the first day-and-a-half of training camp, rookie LB Dontarrious Thomas began the process of trying to win over coaches and teammates Sunday -- agreeing to a four-year contract.

The Vikings had begun to sweat Saturday when what had been deemed a final offer had been rejected by the agent for linebacker Dontarrious Thomas.

That changed Sunday, as Thomas agreed to the contract the Vikings had on the table last Friday. Details weren't announced, but VU has been told that the deal is four years and includes a $1.4 million signing bonus.

There were three primary sticking points to getting Thomas signed. The first was an above-market contract the Bills gave DE Chris Kelsay in the same slot the Vikings took Thomas with in the 2003 draft. The second was above-market contracts signed by 2004 rookies in the second round, including Cowboys RB Julius Jones. The third problem was the insistance that Thomas have nearly a half-million dollars of incentives written into his contract.

With all those problems in the rear view, the Vikings have all their players, and the job of winning the NFC North is the focus of everyone in camp. By his own admission, Thomas knows he has a lot of work to do to be the opening-day starter. Getting his holdout behind him was a huge part of getting that work done.