Reggie Wayne to Vikings: Why Ex-Colts WR Would Look Good in Minnesota

The Minnesota Vikings have so many needs on both sides of the ball and with the third pick in the 2012 NFL draft and 10 total picks, they can make some headway to improving the team in a big way.

Unfortunately, it won't be enough.

The NFL free agency period starts next week and the Vikings need to be active if they are going to turn around their 3-13 season—the second consecutive last place finish in the NFC North.

With the Colts releasing Peyton Manning, it is a foregone conclusion that the Colts will select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

The Rams are looking to get fat by trading away the second pick in the draft to a team desperate for the opportunity to draft Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. That leaves USC tackle Matt Kalil ripe for the picking for the Vikings. For the Vikings to do anything else would be seen as a huge blunder.  

While it's a good start to rebuild the offense, it's not enough.

The Vikings also need to improve the offense by upgrading their receiving core. A good start would be the signing of free agent wide receiver Reggie Wayne from the Indianapolis.

Wayne is a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time Super Bowl participant. He also has the advantage of having played his entire career with with one of the best NFL quarterbacks ever—Peyton Manning.

Sure, Wayne will be 34 years old next season, but he would still be an immediate upgrade for the Vikings at wide receiver. Last season Wayne caught 75 passes for 960 yards and four touchdowns from the likes of Curtis Painter, Dan Orlovsky, and Kerry Collins.

Those numbers would have been second on the Vikings to Percy Harvin, who had 87 receptions for 967 yards and six touchdowns.

Last season the Vikings paid former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver, Michael Jenkins $2.5 million to be the their No. 1 receiver. Unfortunately, he was only able to play in 11 games, finishing the season with 38 catches for 409 yards and three touchdowns.

Adding Wayne to the Vikings offense would be a huge lift. His experience would be a great benefit to second-year quarterback Christian Ponder, immediately providing an upgrade to the receiving corp.

Wayne would also be a perfect mentor for the Vikings, who will look to draft a wide receiver in the second or third round.

The Colts paid Wayne almost $6 million last season. With the projected 2012 salary cap to be somewhere between $120 and $125 million, the Vikings should have plenty of space with at least $23 million to spend. The Vikings could offer him $5 to $7 million a season to play in Minnesota. 

The only problem is how badly Wayne might want to end up wherever the future Hall of Fame quarterback he played his first 10 NFL seasons with, and if the Vikings have enough to lure him to Minnesota.