FRIDAY, 9:10am: The Vikings have officially announced their deal with Newman, via a team release.
THURSDAY, 6:22pm: It’s a one-year, $2.5MM deal with $750K guaranteed, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
6:07pm: Newman is expected to put pen to paper on Friday, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter).
WEDNESDAY, 10:26am: The Vikings are closing in on a contract agreement with veteran cornerback Terence Newman, head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters today, including Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Zimmer said the deal hasn’t quite been finalized yet, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that Newman has accepted Minnesota’s one-year offer and will sign with the team.
Newman, whose agent reportedly met with the Vikings at the owners’ meetings in Arizona last night, spent the last three seasons in Cincinnati, starting 41 regular season contests for the Bengals during that stretch. By signing with the Vikings, the 36-year-old will reunite with Zimmer, who was the defensive coordinator in Cincinnati when Newman joined the Bengals.
Speaking to Pelissero, Zimmer suggested that Newman “can still play” even as he enters his late-30s, and the numbers back that up. In 2014, Newman logged 75 tackles to go along with 15 passes defended and an interception, and graded as a middle-of-the-pack cornerback according to Pro Football Focus’ grades, placing 56th out of 108 qualified players at the position (subscription required).
Newman will be the second former Bengals defensive back to join the Vikings this week — yesterday, Minnesota signed safety Taylor Mays.