The Vikings have reached an agreement in principle with former Rams backup quarterback Gus Frerotte.
"The thing is if you watch tape of Gus in St. Louis, you can still see that he can still fling the football and make all the spot throws," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "I talked to Scott Linehan about why he was cut by the Rams, and he told me that [offensive coordinator] Al Saunders wanted Trent Green as a backup because he knew his system, but Scott thought Gus can still play. You can see that he can by watching the film."
The deal will be for more than one year, but it won't be completed until after the NFL owners meeting, which is concluding Wednesday in West Palm Beach, Fla. Both sides reached agreement on the numbers over the past couple of days but it will take a few days to go over the language of the contract.
Acquiring Frerotte will end any trade discussions with the Texans over backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels. The Vikings offered a third-round choice for Rosenfels. The Texans wanted a second-rounder. Even though the Texans recently signed Quinn Gray for the minimum salary, the team plans to keep three veteran quarterbacks on the roster.
The 36-year-old Frerotte played with the Vikings in 2003 and 2004 before going to the Dolphins in 2005 and the Rams the past two seasons.
John Clayton covers the NFL for ESPN.com.