Pinkston agrees to deal with receiver-needy Vikings
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
Five-year veteran wide receiver Todd Pinkston, released Wednesday by the Philadelphia Eagles, on Friday evening reached an agreement in principle with the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year contract. The deal was to be signed later Friday night.
Pinkston will be reunited in Minnesota with first-year Vikings head coach Brad Childress, who was Pinkston's offensive coordinator with the Eagles. It was widely speculated as soon as Pinkston was released that the receiver-needy Vikings would have an interest in him. Several teams inquired about Pinkston, but he met Thursday with team officials in the Twin Cities and passed the Vikings' physical examination.
Minnesota recently released Koren Robinson, who was expected to be the Vikings' lead receiver in 2006, after he was arrested on drunken driving charges. The Vikings also lost Nate Burleson in free agency this spring, and the wide receiver position has been an area of concern.
Because of the past relationship with Childress, and his familiarity with the offense he has installed this spring and summer, Pinkston should be able to quickly step in and contribute.
Pinkston, who missed the 2005 season with a ruptured right Achilles tendon, became expendable in Philadelphia after the Eagles traded for former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Donte' Stallworth this week. The Eagles on Tuesday granted Pinkston permission to seek a trade, then released him a day later. It had become obvious that most teams interested in Pinkston were willing to wait for him to be released than in acquiring him through a trade.
The Vikings' medical staff apparently had no problems with the tendinitis in both Achilles that forced Pinkston to miss considerable practice time in training camp. Because of the soreness, Eagles coaches were especially cautious with Pinkston in camp. He appeared in just one preseason game and had one reception for 4 yards.
Pinkston, 29, was attractive to teams in large part because of his outstanding deep speed and an impressive career average of 15.3 yards per catch.
A former Southern Mississippi standout, the reed-thin Pinkston has played in 78 games, including 68 as a starter, and has 184 receptions for 2,816 yards and 14 touchdowns. His best season was in 2002, when he had 60 catches for 798 yards and seven touchdowns.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat archive, click here Insider.
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