The Vikings announced signing of Bishop to a one-year contract

The Minnesota Vikings emerged from the first phase of free agency and then the draft, still missing a starting linebacker.

Then the Green Bay Packers let Desmond Bishop go, and the solution seemed so obvious.

The Vikings announced Thursday the signing of Bishop to a one-year contract, three days after he agreed to terms on his deal. He's the latest to leave Green Bay for Minnesota, joining prominent players like wide receiver Greg Jennings, safety Darren Sharper, kicker Ryan Longwell and of course quarterback Brett Favre to recently switch states in the post-prime stage of their careers.

This back-and-forth has further spiced up the rivalry, particularly between the ardent followers of each team, with Vikings fans gloating about all the success Favre, Sharper and Longwell enjoyed in Minnesota and Packers backers criticizing the Vikings for pursuing so many of Green Bay's aging castoffs.

Even lesser-known guys like Robert Ferguson, Javon Walker and Mike Montgomery have put on purple after discarding their green-and-gold jerseys over the past decade. The Vikings also offered contracts to William Henderson and James Jones and in 2005 tried to sign restricted free agent Aaron Kampman, the best pass-rusher the Packers had at the time. Green Bay kept all of them.

Bishop became available when the Packers released him just two weeks ago. He thrived during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, playing one of the inside linebacker spots in Green Bay's 3-4 defense. In 2011, he had career highs in tackles (142) and sacks (five). But Bishop tore his right hamstring during an exhibition game and couldn't play at all in 2012.

The injury required more than six months of rehabilitation before he was able to run full speed again.

Now?

``One-hundred percent and ready to go,'' Bishop said.

The seventh-year veteran, however, said he's not worried about being rusty this season.

``After watching a guy by the name of Adrian Peterson come back from his torn ACL and how well he did, I have an extreme amount of confidence that I can do the same,'' Bishop said on a conference call with Minnesota reporters. He added: ``It's still a process. You have to still build on your strength and your endurance and all those kind of little things and you can never max out on that stuff, so I'm still to this day working on trying to get as strong as I can and I feel really good.''

Bishop said his motivation to join Minnesota was based on helping a 2012 playoff team try to go even further this season, not revenge on his ex-employer. After brushing off the significance of playing against Green Bay, the team that drafted him in the sixth round in 2007, Bishop eventually acknowledged the excitement of returning to Lambeau Field to face all those former teammates of his.

And to try to stop one of the NFL's most potent offenses.

``I'm just a very competitive person, and Aaron Rodgers is considered the best in my eyes at quarterback, so it'll be a good opportunity,'' Bishop said.

In addition to Bishop's health, the other yet-to-be-answered question is which position he'll actually play. The Vikings use a 4-3 alignment, so the middle linebacker spot isn't exactly the same as playing on the inside in the 3-4 scheme. Chad Greenway is the starter at the strong side, and Erin Henderson was the starter at the weak side spot the last two years. Henderson could stay there, with Bishop taking the middle, or they could flip-flop.

``I'm not really worried about that. Wherever they put me. Whatever the coaching staff sees me fit, that's where I'll play,'' Bishop said, adding: ``I've pretty much played all three positions at one time in my football career.''

To make room for Bishop on the 90-man roster they'll take to training camp, the Vikings released linebacker Stanford Keglar.

The Vikings also publicized Thursday their practice schedule for camp, which the Vikings report to on July 25. They'll have 15 days of open-to-the-public workouts at Minnesota State University in Mankato, with a walk-through in the morning and a full practice in the afternoon. The last day of on-field work there is Aug. 14.

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Allen was in an organization previously

Jared Allen has entered the final season of his mega contract without any guarantee from the Minnesota Vikings of an extension.
The five-time Pro Bowl defensive end, of course, would rather have already signed a new deal with the team that traded a first-round draft pick and a pair of third-round selections to Kansas City for him in 2008.
But in the NFL even a guy with 117 career sacks, the second-most among active players, can get cut.
``I was in an organization previously that didn't respect where I was at in my contract,'' Allen said Wednesday, referring to the Chiefs. ``They promised me a lot of stuff and didn't deliver. And here, I don't have that problem.''
Allen turned 31 in April. His salary for 2013 is more than $14 million, before the bonuses he'll likely collect. That's a huge hit on a club's salary cap, and the Vikings could've forced him to take a pay cut as they did with defensive tackle Kevin Williams, left guard Charlie Johnson and tight end John Carlson. Or they could've released him, like veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield.
Two of the other pass-rushing specialists in the current top five on the active career sack list, John Abraham and Dwight Freeney, were recently dumped by their teams.
``A lot of guys get let go in the last year or restructure the last year,'' Allen said, adding: ``They want to honor it. So that's great for me. I have no beefs, quarrels, nothing.''
Asked whether he'd be open to a new deal during the season, Allen didn't answer the question directly but indicated his disinterest in considering such matters while the games are going on.
``We're all on the same page,'' Allen said, praising his relationship with coach Leslie Frazier, general manager Rick Spielman and owner Zygi Wilf. ``You know what? I'm excited they're letting me play my contract out. ... I feel like I've got plenty of good football left in me. But that's a decision we'll sit down and make when the time is right.''
Williams is also in the final season of his contract. So are fellow defensive ends Everson Griffen and Brian Robison. That's created an intriguing dynamic among a group that has been one of the team's strongest positions for the last half-decade.
``If we sit there and worry about the contract thing and things like that, it's not going to do anything but hurt our play,'' Robison said. ``I mean, I think any guy will tell you as long as your mind is on playing football and you're playing well, everything else will take care of itself.''
With 22 sacks in 2011, Allen just missed the NFL single-season record. Last year, he had 12 sacks. Perhaps that's a sign of some decline, but Allen played in all 17 games (including the postseason loss at Green Bay) with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Allen had surgery to repair that a little more than four months ago, also undergoing a minor procedure for the meniscus cartilage in his right knee at the same time.
He joined his teammates this week for the second round of on-field practices, known in league parlance as organized team activities, but he's only an observer.
``We probably won't see him until training camp,'' Frazier said. ``But ... medically he is doing great and there won't be any problems when we get to training camp. The fact that he's in town, he's doing his rehab here, he's coming out to our practices, that's a good thing.''
He's finally sleeping through the night, too. The shoulder injury, he said, happened in the middle of the 2011 season. He was able to play through the condition, but it caused plenty of sharp pain.
``I'd wake up every night tossing and turning,'' he said, then describing his euphoria a few months ago when he opened his eyes and realized it was morning, having not been jolted awake by the discomfort.
Allen estimated his flexibility in the joint at 97 percent.
``I feel good. Just trying to build strength up now,'' he said, adding: ``Just trying to make sure I'm in the best shape possible and I can get back out there with the guys.''
Perhaps for the final time in purple.