Vikings to deal WR Williamson to Jags for draft pick

[Shark79]

Is this a smart move on the Vikings?

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Minnesota Vikings' last link to the Randy Moss trade reportedly will be jettisoned from their roster later this week.

Troy Williamson

Williamson

Though nothing may be officially announced until Friday at midnight ET when the NFL's new league year starts, the Jaguars have all but agreed on a trade with the Vikings for wide receiver Troy Williamson.

Williamson was given permission last week by coach Brad Childress to find a new home via a trade. The Vikings are expected to receive a sixth-round pick for Williamson.

The Jaguars were looking to add speed at receiver, and Williamson is one of the fastest in the league at the position. Going to the Jaguars will allow him to reunite with Mike Tice, the Jaguars assistant who was the head coach in Minnesota when Williamson was drafted.

Williamson was drafted in 2005 with the seventh overall pick, which the Vikings acquired from the Raiders for Moss. Other players which Minnesota acquired for Moss -- linebacker Napoleon Harris and cornerback Adrian Ward (picked in the seventh round via a Raiders selection) -- are no longer with the franchise.

Last season, Williamson was fined a game check -- a decision later reversed by the team -- for leaving the team to be with his family in South Carolina after the death of his grandmother, Celestine, to whom he was very close.

Williamson chose to stay at home the entire week and not return for the Vikings' game against the Chargers.

The Vikings wanted him back sooner, though, and docked him one paycheck for his absence, which amounted to more than $25,000 of his $435,000 base salary.

But after veteran players voiced support of Williamson's decision, the team opted to change course.

In 2007, Williamson caught 18 passes for 240 yards and one touchdown. In three NFL seasons, he has caught 79 passes for 1,067 yards and three touchdowns.

Williamson has two years remaining on his contract. He's scheduled to make $910,000 in 2008 and $1.435 million in 2009.

Information from ESPN.com's John Clayton and The Associated Press was used in this report.

[McBa1n]

If it is just for a 6th pick - it might be worth a shot, but I think it's a spotty decision for a team that NEEDS a WR bad. Jags are starved at WR. Northcutt is washed up, Williams is a bust, Wilford is a serviceable (albeit near the bottom of the league) #2, Matt Jones is a bust - and their TEs have great measureables and no hands. The Jags have to change their philosophy when drafting WR. They get guys with SICK measureables (size/speed/agility) and little NFL talent.

Williamson has extremely strong measureables, but his ball skills are definitly in the bottom 1/3rd of the league. He can't catch a damn cold he's so bad -- which is a shame. He didn't have the pressure, as much as people would think, of him 'replacing' Moss - and yet he did very very little in Minnie.

Overall, it's an 'ok' risk - but I don't think the Jags need another risk at WR, even for a 6th rounder or whatever they are ponying up. They need an NFL wideout.

[slacker00]

The story on Williamson is that something's messed up with his vision. I think they've been working on it, but it's something structurally wrong with his eyes or something. He doesn't have depth perception in at least one eye. That's why he drops so many balls. He can't catch what he can't see. Hopefully, they can figure it out and fix it. Maybe his career can still happen.