The Curious Free Agency of Antoine Winfield

With the long delayed free agency spending spree hopefully starting soon, I think back to March 2004. The Minnesota Vikings had never been big players in free agency. The owners, Red McCombs in particular, never wanted to come up with the big bucks. They certainly never wanted to get into a bidding war. Still, every year I would make a wish list of players that could help the team. The Vikings cornerback situation was so horrible in those years that they moved receiver Robert Tate over to defense in the middle of the season. Within a couple of weeks he was a starter. Needless to say, cornerback was at the top of my list.

It was often easy to be impressed with the cornerbacks on other teams in those days. The Buffalo Bills tandem of Nate Clements and especially Antoine Winfield were particularly impressive. It just so happened that Antoine Winfield was a free agent in 2004. Despite the desperate need at the position, the Vikings would never pursue a player with that kind of talent. Too expensive. As the gun sounded to start free agency 2004, I learned through the marvels of the Internet that Winfield was scheduled to meet with the Vikings. The only problem was that he was scheduled to meet with the Jets first. The longer that visit lasted the less likely it became that Winfield would make it to Minnesota. It looked bleak. It looked dead when the Jets scheduled a press conference to announce the signing of Winfield. The Jets jumped the gun. Just before the announcement a private plane, arranged by head coach Mike Tice, picked up Winfield and brought him to Minnesota. The next day, Antoine Winfield signed with the Vikings. Word around the campfire was that Winfield got cold feet with the Jets. He had apparently promised his former coordinator in Buffalo, and then coordinator in Minnesota, Ted Cottrell that he would visit Minnesota before signing anywhere. Winfield kept that promise.

Antoine Winfield quickly became and remains one of my favorite players. His leadership, effort and talent make for an incredible football player. Despite his relatively small size, he is possibly the most complete cornerback in the league. Since 2004, at least one cornerback spot has been a strength of the team. The Vikings sweeping in and plucking Winfield from the grimy grips of the Jets in 2004 is proof that it is never over until the player signs his name.