One of the most compelling comeback stories in recent NFL history may have commenced on Monday evening.

ESPN.com has learned that free agent cornerback Fred Vinson, who hasn’t played in a game since the end of the 1999 season, has agreed to a contract with the Carolina Panthers. He will sign a one-year contract that, with incentives, could be worth as much as $1 million.

Even if Vinson does nothing more than get onto the field in training camp, the former Green Bay and Seattle cornerback might qualify for comeback player of the year honors. Vinson has been a model of perseverance, coming back from surgeries on his right knee in consecutive years.

The former Vanderbilt star originally tore the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee in a June 2000 mini-camp, just months after having been traded from the Packers to the Seattle in exchange for tailback Ahman Green. That injury forced him to miss the entire 2000 season. He again tore the ACL in his right knee in April 2001, and was subsequently released by the Seahawks.

Most observers assumed the second knee injury would end Vinson’s career, but he vowed to return to the league and went to Orlando to work with a personal trainer for further rehabilitation. Several teams kept abreast of his progress, and Vinson auditioned over the past month for five teams, all of which offered him a contract.

In Carolina, he will be joining a team in need of cornerback assistance. The Panthers released both their 2001 starters, Doug Evans and Jimmy Hitchcock, for salary cap reasons this spring. A projected starter, Rashard Anderson, will undergo surgery to repair a bulging disk in his neck this week and the team’s 2000 first-round choice might not return until a month into the season.

Carolina has signed two free agent cornerbacks, DeRon Jenkins and Terry Cousin, and Vinson should be able to compete for a starting job or at least meaningful playing time.

Vinson, 25, was a second-round pick of the Packers in the 1999 draft. He played in 16 games as a rookie, principally in a “nickel” or “dime” role, and had one start. He posted 19 tackles and had a pair of interceptions, then was dealt to the Seahawks on the eve of the 2000 draft.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.