Carter Signed By ESPN

Cris Carter didn't make the Hall of Fame on his first try, but he did make a big career move, joining ESPN as a studio analyst on the same day the network announced it would be letting former Viking teammate Sean Salisbury go.

Viking in, Viking out. That was the line of the day at ESPN, where the network announced the signing of one former Viking and the release of another.

Cris Carter was announced as a new hire by the network, which plans to use Carter on its daily “NFL Live” program, as well as “SportsCenter,” ESPN Radio and the sister TV network ESPN News. Carter is also expected to be part of the network’s draft coverage in April.

Salisbury did not have his contract renewed after 12 years, where he had been a football analyst. It has been speculated the decision not to pick up his contract had to do with an incident last year in which he allegedly took a photo-phone picture of his genitals and e-mailed it to co-workers. He was suspended for one week when the news became public.

Carter will begin with ESPN starting April 1.

WEDNESDAY NOTES
* The free agent market for wide receivers got a little bigger Tuesday as Justin McCareins, Eddie Kennison and Brandon Lloyd were all released.
* One recently released wide receiver may be coming off the market. Sources out of Panthers camp say the team is close to re-signing Muhsin Muhammad.
* While it’s unlikely anyone would give up the first and third round draft picks it would take to get him, restricted free agent QB Derek Anderson and the Browns are said to be close to contract extension. The Browns reportedly have increased their offer in recent days.
* Former Viking Todd Bouman re-signed with the Jaguars Tuesday.