It seems as though things are going fairly well in Adrian Peterson's recovery from left knee surgery. At Minnesota's Winter Park facility for the start of this year's offseason team activities in late April, Peterson noticed that his teammates weren't running that hard. So Peterson challenged those same teammates to a footrace and won easily. "He was off to the side working with our trainer, Eric Sugarman, and he looked out and saw the guys doing their wind sprints," head coach Leslie Frazier said. "He... [Read More]
The Minnesota Vikings, with aid from the NFL, are expected to pay about $477 million for their new stadium. Over the course of the 30-year lease, owner Zygi Wilf could get nearly that much back in a naming rights deal. According to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Wilf could get as much as $15 million a year in a naming right fee. Add that up and it would be more than $400 million over 30 years. The hope is the Vikings will be able to open their new building in 2016.
The Minneapolis City Council has given preliminary approval to a plan to build a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings, one of the final procedural steps for the $975 million project. A council committee voted 7-6 for the plan on Thursday. The city would redirect a hospitality tax to pay its $150 million share of construction costs, and the new stadium would go where the Metrodome, the Vikings' current home, sits. Thursday's vote amounted to a key test because the committee includes all council members. A final vote is... [Read More]
The Vikings have signed 4th round pick TE Rhett Ellison (USC) to a four-year contract worth $2.4 million and including a $300K signing bonus, according to the Pioneer Press. Ellison will step into the blocking/pass-catching TE void left by the retirement of TE Jimmy Kleinsasser.
The Vikings announced Friday that they have signed OT Levi Horn, a second-year player out of Montana. Horn, 25, originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2010. The 6-6, 320-pound Horn spent most of his first two seasons on the Bears' practice squad before being cut by the team on May 14.
Add the Minnesota Vikings to the list of NFL teams that won't be appearing on HBO's "Hard Knocks" during training camp this summer. An NFL source said that for the second consecutive year interest was expressed in having the Vikings be part of a show that has become very popular but is seen as being far too intrusive by many organizations. "Hard Knocks" is a multi-show series that not only features up-close looks at training camp practices but also takes viewers behind the scenes, showing team... [Read More]
Adrian Peterson has shown resilience in battling back from the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in his left knee last December. The Minnesota Vikings running back is gunning to take the field Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but cast doubt Thursday about his status for the start of training camp. "To be honest with you I feel like 50-50," Peterson told ESPN's Josina Anderson. "I feel like honestly, sitting here telling you the truth, I'll be able to participate doing certain things. I... [Read More]
The Minnesota Vikings have signed defensive end Nick Reed and tackle Kevin Murphy. Reed, drafted by Seattle in the seventh round in 2009, was invited to the Vikings' rookie mini-camp earlier this month. He played 16 games for the Seahawks as a rookie in 2009. He was out of the league in 2010 and spent parts of last season with Chicago and Tampa Bay. Murphy, a 6-foot-7, 303-pound tackle out of Harvard, went undrafted last month. He signed a free agent deal with San Francisco shortly after the draft but was quickly... [Read More]
New Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jerome Simpson introduced himself on Monday to local fans in Monday's St. Paul Pioneer Press by offering a mea culpa for his recent felony drug conviction. "I made a poor decision. I got caught in something that wasn't really my personality or me," Simpson told the newspaper. The former Cincinnati Bengals wideout pleaded guilty to a charge of prohibited acts involving controlled substances in March after police found several pounds of marijuana in his Kentucky home, he was... [Read More]
It's been a long road, but Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton plans to sign the Vikings Stadium bill into law at a ceremony at noon on Monday. Dayton has been one of the biggest cheerleaders for the new $975 million project, which won final legislative approval Thursday after years of failed attempts. While the stadium is being built, the Vikings will play their home games at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium. The team will pay the university $250,000 for each game. Owner Mark Wilf says the Vikings are hoping to... [Read More]
On the day after securing a new stadium, Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said Friday it was "Monday morning quarterbacking" to say whether he would have sold or moved the team had the project not been approved according to Mike Kaszuba of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "I don't like Monday morning quarterbacking. Since the question is moot, I have no thoughts about it," said Wilf, sitting in his office at the team's practice facility in Eden Prairie. Wilf and his brother, Mark Wilf, the team's... [Read More]
Minnesota Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf are plowing ahead with stadium planning and other tasks, one day after the Minnesota State Legislature approved funding for a new $975 million facility. At the top of the Wilfs' list of priorities: Bidding to host the Super Bowl according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. The stadium is scheduled to open for the 2016 season, and Mark Wilf said Friday he hopes the Super Bowl could return to Minneapolis as early as 2017. "I know the Super Bowl process typically happens in the... [Read More]
One day after winning their seven-year fight for a new stadium, the Vikings owners started to lay out their vision for the $975 million project they hope will serve as a recruiting tool for free agents for decades. They appear to be leaning toward footing the bill for a retractable roof, which could help them bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Minnesota. "We're going to try to get the maximum number of features within the budgets that we can make this a facility that is going to be exciting to the... [Read More]
The Minnesota Vikings and the University of Minnesota have reached preliminary agreement on the Vikings' use of TCF Bank Stadium during construction of a new Vikings stadium. The letter of intent provides the Vikings will reimburse the university for all changes they require for the campus football stadium. The Vikings also would reimburse the school for all non-game day expenses and game-day operational expenses related to the Vikings' use of the stadium. In addition, the Vikings will pay rent to the university and... [Read More]
By a vote of 36-30, the Minnesota Senate approved the $975 million bill to fund a new downtown Minneapolis stadium for the Minnesota Vikings, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. After the Vikings increased their outlay by $50 million, the House approved the measure at 3:30am local time. With the Senate and House approving the measure, the bill will go to Governor Mark Dayton, a supporter of the bill who will approve the deal with his signature, perhaps as early as Thursday. "We delivered," said Republican... [Read More]
