Vikings Sign Longwell; Lose Rice

The Vikings have lost free agent receiver Sidney Rice to the Seattle Seahawks.  Seattle agreed to sign Rice to a 5-year $41 Million contract with $18 Million guaranteed.  Rice was also aggressively pursued by the Vikings.  Rice played just 6 games in 2010 with 17 receptions for 280 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He missed much of the season recovering from a hip injury.

The Vikings agreed to sign kicker Ryan Longwell to a 4-year contract worth $12 Million with $3.5 Million guaranteed.  Longwell made 17 of 18 field goal attempts in 2010.  He is 37 years old.

The Vikings are expected to release defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy and receivers Bernard Berrian and Freddie Brown.