The Minnesota Vikings were pretty open about their plans to be aggressive in free agency, and they haven't disappointed. With plenty of room under the cap, the Vikings spent most of the morning hammering out a deal with Bengals free safety Madieu Williams.
The 26-year-old Williams signed a six-year, $33 million contract with the Vikings, according to John Clayton. I watched Williams play a couple times in person this season, and he has excellent cover skills for a safety. In fact, he could be used as a cornerback in a pinch. In his four seasons with the Bengals, Williams had nine interceptions and broke up 26 passes. Cincinnati liked Williams, but as Geoff Hobson points out, the organization has a history of not paying safeties.
Hobson reports that Williams will receive $13 million in guaranteed money and $17 million over the first three years of the contract.
