6:15 pm: Crocker’s deal will be a one-year contract for $955,000, reports Mark Craig of the Minnesota Star Tribune (via Twitter). That represents the minimum salary for a veteran with ten or more years of NFL experience.
2:49 pm: The Vikings have made a pair of transactions, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed veteran safety Chris Crocker, waiving defensive end Rakim Cox to make room on the 90-man roster.
Crocker, 34, has spent the last several seasons playing in Cincinnati under Mike Zimmer, the Bengals’ former defensive coordinator and Vikings’ new head coach. The former third-round pick has only seen part-time action over the last two seasons after having started for multiple years with the Bengals, but still managed to make an impact in 2013, logging 37 tackles, recording 1.5 sacks, and grabbing a pair of interceptions, including one that he returned for a touchdown.
Jamarca Sanford, Harrison Smith, Robert Blanton, and Kurt Coleman are among the Vikings safeties competing for starting spots and playing time at the moment, but it doesn’t appear as if either safety spot is set in stone yet, so Crocker should have an opportunity to earn a roster spot and playing time with a strong preseason.