Vikes Sign Cook

The Vikings continued their rapid-fire signings of rookies from the 2006 draft, making Ryan Cook the fourth of their six draft picks to sign. The Vikings inked the versatile offensive lineman to a four-year contract.

Until today, Ryan Cook was known simply as the guy the Vikings drafted with the pick the Dolphins sent their way in exchange for Daunte Culpepper. Now, he's signed and ready to start his own Vikings career.

Terms of the four-year contract were not released, but VU has been told that the contract includes $1.5 million in guaranteed money between bonuses and first-year salary.

Cook is the latest in a flurry of signings by the Vikings. On Monday, Ray Edwards and Greg Blue came to terms. On Tuesday, defensive back Cedric Griffin was added to that list.

With Cook signed, the Vikings only have two players that need to be signed before the team opens training camp next week. VU has been told that negotiations are underway with linebacker Chad Greenway, but that talks with the agent for quarterback Tarvaris Jackson are going slowly.

THURSDAY NOTES
* A local TV report Wednesday said that Brad Johnson isn't happy being the 36th-highest paid quarterback in the league and wants his four-year deal reworked to pay him starting QB money. While VU mentioned this same topic a couple of months ago, there has been no formal discussion between the Vikings and Johnson's people about a new deal. Johnson has said he will honor his contract and show up at training camp on time, but there could be a growing rift if the Vikings don't increase Johnson's pay envelope.
* Sioux Falls, S.D., is making another pitch to the Vikings to get them to move their training across state lines. When South Dakota officials first made such overtures, Gov. Tim Pawlenty said moving training camp out of state would go a long way to killing any public funding for a new Vikings stadium.
* Owner Zygi Wilf met for 90 minutes with Minneapolis political and business leaders, keeping the door open to a potential stadium deal within the city. Wilf declined comment after the meeting, but several city officials maintained that the Vikings should stay in Minneapolis. Earlier this week, the Army Corps of Engineers threw a potential wrench in Wilf's plan to build a stadium in Anoka County by saying some of the land critical to the scope of the project is deemed wetlands and unfit for business purposes in its zoning.