Wyms Talks Continue

The Vikings continue to negotiate a potential contract with defensive lineman Ellis Wyms, but considering that Wyms likely isn't viewed as a starter, some are beginning to wonder what is holding up the negotiations?

The Vikings are still trying to negotiate a deal with DL Ellis Wyms, who visited with the team last week and has yet to agree to a contract offer. This begs the question – what’s the holdup?

It doesn’t appear as though the Vikings would have to break the bank to sign Wyms, who spent his first six years with the Bucs and last year with the Seahawks. Despite being a seven-year veteran, there isn’t a photo of Wyms available on his player profile at the league’s official website.

For those unfamiliar with Wyms, he has played in 79 NFL games, recording 16.5 sacks. He has played in all 16 games of a season just once in his seven years and likely would be a player that would provide depth instead of being a frontrunner for a starting job in training camp.

Whether the Vikings sign Wyms or not, it would appear that defensive end could be a priority spot for the team with its first-round draft pick. But the Vikings are likely going to know within the next couple of days whether Wyms will be a part of the team in 2008 or not. Either way, it doesn’t appear like it will be a make-or-break signing.

WEDNESDAY NOTES
* The Cardinals ended weeks of speculation about the future of wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald by agreeing to a four-year, $40 million contract. There had been rumors that the Cardinals would trade Fitzgerald, a former Vikings ball boy and Twin Cities high school star, if they couldn’t get him to re-work his insane contract that would have meant he would count more $30 million against the salary cap over the next two years. While the Eagles seemed to be the frontrunner according to rumor-mill speculation, it never seemed as though Fitz was really going anywhere. The deal, which guarantees Fitzgerald $30 million, has the immediate benefit of opening $8.8 million in cap room this year for the Cardinals.
* Those who jumped on the Randy Moss bashing bandwagon after allegations of abuse were made by a woman Moss has known since college were silenced Tuesday when it was announced that the woman had asked for the restraining order against Moss be dropped and the potential court case dismissed. At the time, many of us thought the timing was curious – leading up to Media Day at the Super Bowl – and that the allegations were ridiculous. For those unfamiliar with the case, the woman apparently was seeking a half-million dollars from Moss for what she claimed was a finger injury. Some media sites have speculated that Moss paid off the woman, but there has been no proof offered to back up that claim.
* Former Vikings Randall Cunningham and Randall McDaniel are among the 75 candidates for the College Football Hall of Fame ballot. The Class of ’08 will be announced May 1 in New York City.
* Former Viking Obafemi Ayanbadejo, who was suspended last year for testing positive for a banned substance, is suing the company that makes the supplement Max LMG. According to Ayanbedejo, ALR Industries included a form of steroid in the supplement that wasn’t listed among the ingredients on the bottle. He points out in court documents that the supplement he took has been discontinued and the Nutrimart store he bought the supplement at has been closed. Chargers LB Shawne Merriman made a similar claim about the same product when he tested positive for banned substances and was suspended four games by the league for violating its substance abuse policy.
* Just how big is Brett Favre? On Tuesday, the Wisconsin State Legislature passed a resolution honoring Favre for his on-field and off-field contributions to the state.