Williamson to go to Jaguars

The Vikings reached the final stages of negotiations Monday night to send receiver Troy Williamson to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick in the 2008 draft, according to two sources with knowledge of the trade.

A few secondary items remain unresolved. But those issues should be ironed out by 11 p.m. Thursday, when the NFL's trading and free-agency period officially begins. Officials from both teams are prohibited from commenting until then.

Reached by telephone Monday night, Williamson said he was unaware the deal had been completed and declined further comment. In Jacksonville, he would be reunited with former Vikings coach Mike Tice, now the Jaguars assistant head coach.

Speaking Friday, when the Vikings gave agent David Canter permission to seek a trade, Williamson said: "When things don't go the way I feel they should have gone, of course I'm disappointed. But I've made it work for me and tried to be positive in everything I do."

The deal enables the Vikings some grace in parting ways with one of their all-time draft busts. The No. 7 overall pick in 2005, Williamson caught 79 passes for 1,067 yards and three touchdowns with the Vikings.

His three-year career has been more notable for the catches he hasn't made. His speed made him the prototypical deep threat, but his inability to judge the long pass was a constant source of frustration for the Vikings.

A Nike specialist determined last spring that his left eye was stronger than the right, causing depth perception problems. But prescribed exercises made little difference last season. Drops are not an official NFL statistic, but observers conservatively estimated he had at least 25 in 39 career games.

Williamson ran into controversy off the field as well. In 2006, he was punched by a security guard during a charity concert sponsored by safety Darren Sharper. His fate with the Vikings seemed sealed midway through last season; team officials temporarily withheld his paycheck after he left the team for nine days following the death of his grandmother.

The Vikings are expected to make the receiver position one of their primary targets in the free-agent period. Chicago's Bernard Berrian could be their top choice.