The Minnesota Vikings were looking for a reliable target for developing quarterback Christian Ponder, and though they weren't able to (or perhaps didn't try to) snag one of the big name receivers out there, they did reach an agreement with former Seattle Seahawks tight end John Carlson. Now there's some more details regarding the terms of said agreement, per ESPN's Adam Schefter via Twitter.
Schefter reports that the Vikings are giving Carlson a five-year contract worth $25 million, which is a sizable amount, but not far off from where most figured Carlson would be. What hurt him the most was the fact that he missed the entire 2011 season with a knee injury, which definitely hurt the Seahawks in the end. Seattle was expecting to have a great duo of reliable tight ends with Zach Miller coming in.
There's no word on the guaranteed dollars or what the incentives are looking like for Carlson, but even if it was a straight-up $5 million per-year, it wouldn't be far off from his value. It all depends on whether or not the Vikings think he's truly healthy and will come back at full strength. If he does, then he should help out Christian Ponder immensely.
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