Vikings sign CB Antoine Winfield to 5-year extension

Vikings sign Winfield to 5-year extension

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Antoine Winfield watched last season as veterans Darren Sharper and Matt Birk played out the final year of their contracts and then left Minnesota without extensions. He wondered if he was next.

The Vikings answered emphatically on Thursday, signing the Pro Bowl cornerback to a five-year deal that includes $16 million in guaranteed money.

“It feels great,” Winfield said. “I’ve got no worries. I’m excited.”

Winfield was heading into the final year of his contract and the sometimes contentious negotiations broke off at one point during the summer. It was starting to look a lot like the experiences of Sharper, who left to sign with the New Orleans Saints, and Birk, who declined an offer from the Vikings to head to Baltimore.

Winfield skipped the team’s optional workouts this summer. He also missed a mandatory minicamp in June.

The problem, according to Winfield’s agent, was the uniqueness of this deal. Winfield is 32 years old and heading into his 11th season in the NFL, which is typically the beginning of the end of a career for a cornerback.

“We just had a tough time putting this thing together because we didn’t have anything to go by,” Ashanti Webb said.

Webb looked all the way back to negotiations between the Washington Redskins and Darrell Green, the ageless defensive back who played at a high level for 20 seasons. He used that to build a framework for the deal.

“It was never a situation where they didn’t want to do it or we didn’t want to do it,” Webb said. “It really was unprecedented.”

Winfield is coming off one of his best seasons as a pro. He had 95 tackles, four forced fumbles, two interceptions and two sacks last season to help the Vikings to the NFC North title and earn his first Pro Bowl nomination.

Despite putting his body through plenty of punishment as one of the hardest hitting cornerbacks in the NFL, the 5-foot-9 Winfield says he has plenty of football left in him with training camp beginning next week.

“I feel great,” Winfield said. “I’ve been working out down in Houston the last six weeks. I have no injuries, a clear mind. I’ve been playing this game a long time and I have a lot left in me.”

Winfield already is a rarity in one respect. The Vikings signed him away from Buffalo in 2004, and he has been more productive with each successive season.

The new deal allows the Vikings to keep a valued leader in the locker room and one of the most physical cornerbacks in the league while also allowing Winfield to stay in a place, and a defense, where he has flourished.

“That was the goal,” Winfield said. “I’ve been here since ‘04. I’m very comfortable with my teammates, the coaches, the city. It gives me an opportunity to win a championship.”

If Winfield completes the new deal, which runs through 2013, he could earn as much as $36 million if he retains his starting position and reaches certain incentives.

With the deal done, Winfield can concentrate on going after the title that has eluded him for 10 years. The Vikings lost in the first round of the playoffs to Philadelphia last season, but Winfield said they expect to contend for the NFC crown this year.

“We have all the pieces in place,” Winfield said. “We have no excuses.”