Vikings Sign Wade

The Vikings made their first wide receiver signing of the offseason. But instead of being a big name like Kevin Curtis, Donte Stallworth or Joe Horn, the team took another economical free agent in former Chicago and Tennessee wide receiver Bobby Wade.

The Vikings continued their cautious approach to free agency Tuesday night, signing another young but untested player in free agency when the team announced it had signed wide receiver Bobby Wade to a contract reported to be five years for $15 million.

Wade spent his first two seasons with the Bears, catching 54 passes for 618 yards and no touchdowns. He spent the last two years with the Titans, catching 47 passes for 581 yards and two touchdowns. In his only season as a starter with the Bears, he caught 42 passes for 481 yards – both career highs.

Head coach Brad Childress said he envisions Wade’s role with the team to be as a slot receiver. With the Titans last year, he averaged 14 yards per reception with eight catches of 20-25 yards, and 22 of his 33 receptions resulted in first downs.

Wade is the latest in a growing list of signees that haven’t made a huge splash in the NFL. The signing may well not be the last wide receiver the Vikings take in free agency, but the team has already missed out Ashley Lelie, who signed with the 49ers before he could make his scheduled visit to the Vikings, and Drew Bennett, who signed with the Rams. The Vikings have shown no interest in Donte Stallworth to date and let Kevin Curtis leave Winter Park without a contract. Curtis went on to Detroit, where he abruptly fired his agent and has more visits scheduled.

WEDNESDAY NOTES
* As of Tuesday night, only three teams had signed no free agents – the Raiders, Bears, Packers and Giants. However, eight others – the Ravens, Bengals, Colts, Steelers, Chargers, Titans, Panthers and Eagles – have only re-signed their own free agents in the first week of the signing period.
* Former Viking Cory Withrow signed a three-year contract with the Chargers on Tuesday.
* You can add Trent Green to the list of potential free agent quarterbacks that could be on the market. The Chiefs gave Green and his agent permission to explore options with different teams. The Chiefs have made it clear that if Green wants to remain with the team, he will have to restructure his contract.
* What ended up being the difference between the Vikings signing tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and not Daniel Graham? A lot if the contracts run their full course. Shiancoe signed a deal with the Vikings for five years and up to $18.2 million, with $7 million of the deal guaranteed. Graham signed Tuesday night with the Broncos for a deal reported to be five years for $30 million with $15 million in guaranteed money – making him the highest paid tight end in the NFL.