Report: Vikings close to deal for Rosenfels

The Vikings are close to trading a fourth-round pick to the Houston Texans for quarterback Sage Rosenfels, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Apparently, the Vikings’ interest in quarterback Sage Rosenfels hasn’t diminished in the last year.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the Vikings and Texans are close to completing a trade that would send Rosenfels to Minnesota for a fourth-round draft choice. If that happens, Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson would likely compete for the starting job.

“I think that Tarvaris continues to improve, without a doubt, and I believe he will. I think he gave glimpses coming back in cold off the bench, doing some of the things he did. Then obviously he’s got to eliminate some of those turnovers,” Childress said Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I’d like to see the touchdown-turnover ratio change. And then we need to put somebody in place that will push him and compete with him. I think competition is the nature of the game.”

At the time, Childress said he had talked with quarterback Gus Frerotte earlier in the week and said that if Frerotte wanted to return, it would be an open competition between him and Jackson for the starting spot. If the Vikings trade for Rosenfels, Frerotte might not have that opportunity.

Childress said Frerotte did not ask for his release.

Last year, the Vikings reportedly offered a third-round pick for Rosenfels, but the Texans held out for a second-round selection. When they didn’t get it, they went forward with Rosenfels as their backup to Matt Schaub.

Rosenfels ended up starting five games, completing 66.7 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He finished the season with a quarterback rating of 79.5.

During a Week 9 game at Minnesota, Rosenfels relieved an injured Schaub and completed 21 of 29 passes for two touchdowns and one interception in a 28-21 Vikings win. He had a 103.2 rating in that game, his best of the season by nearly 20 ratings points.

The 30-year-old quarterback was born in Iowa and played at Iowa State. He is only signed through 2009 but has a reasonable base salary of $1.35 million, which is all the Vikings would be responsible for. The Texans would have $500,000 in remaining prorated signing bonus accelerated onto their cap.

The Vikings could look to extend Rosenfels’ contract before the deal is completed at the start of the league year at midnight Eastern Feb. 27.