Continued: Bellying up to barter

The NFL's gathering this week in Indy might be dubbed the scouting combine, but this event has turned into much more than an evaluation of college players.

With all 32 franchises represented and countless agents on hand, teams set their offseason plans in motion. Consider it the NFL's answer to baseball's winter meetings.

Free agency begins a week from Friday, and while technically discussions between teams and agents can't take place until Feb. 27, feelers are put out long before then. At the combine last year, word first leaked that the Vikings had interest in free agents Bernard Berrian and Madieu Williams.

Since a playoff loss to Philadelphia, Vikings executives have holed up at Winter Park putting together a strategy to improve their roster. A year ago, they were ultra-aggressive and quickly signed Berrian, Williams and Thomas Tapeh to contracts that totalled $81 million and included $30 million in guarantees.

A month later, the Vikings sent a first- and two third-round draft picks to Kansas City for Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen and made him the highest-paid defensive player in league history with a six-year, $74.5 million contract.

Given the economic climate and previous investments made by the Vikings, they'll likely take a more conservative approach in free agency. Owner Zygi Wilf, however, always makes it clear that money won't be an issue.

And that means the Vikings could consider the quarterback position a special case.

The franchise is looking to sell tickets, and bringing back Tarvaris Jackson or Gus Frerotte as the starter isn't going to generate excitement. A big-name acquisition could assure a home sellout streak that began in 1998 continues for a 12th consecutive season.

There have been indications the Vikings have an interest in Matt Cassel, who had the $14.65 million franchise tag placed on him by New England, but could be available in a trade. The Patriots' asking price certainly would include high draft picks.

That might be more than Vikings Vice President for Player Personnel Rick Spielman and coach Brad Childress are willing to give up. Spielman believes in building through the draft, and surrendering first-round selections, and potentially more, two years in a row would fly in the face of that philosophy.

A more realistic option would be free agent Jeff Garcia. Garcia went 14-10 in 24 regular-season starts with Tampa Bay over the past two seasons -- including a 19-13 victory over the Vikings last November -- and threw 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

"I do feel like I have football life in me," Garcia told the St. Petersburg Times. "I'm pretty sure there's going to be something out there for me."

The pluses to adding Garcia would be his familiarity with the West Coast offense run by the Vikings, and the fact he would come at a reasonable price.

The minus? Garcia will turn 39 on Tuesday.

The Vikings passed on the chance to try to add Garcia after the 2006 season, but there is now one big difference. The Vikings were coming off a 6-10 finish in 2006 and likely believed they were more than a quarterback away from turning the corner. After winning the NFC North with a 10-6 record in 2008, the Vikings appear set to make a legitimate playoff run, if they have the right quarterback in place.

The class of free-agent quarterbacks certainly isn't going to inspire much awe. Kerry Collins and Kurt Warner, like Garcia, are both near the end of their careers, and there are questions about guys such as Rex Grossman, J.P. Losman, Dan Orlovsky and Chris Simms. Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb, Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck and Cleveland's Derek Anderson have been mentioned in trade rumors, but the asking price again could be an issue.

About the only thing that appears certain about the Vikings quarterback situation is they aren't going to find their 2009 starter at this week's combine.

The Vikings pick 22nd in the first round and Georgia's Matthew Stafford and Southern California's Mark Sanchez should be long gone by that point. Kansas State's Josh Freeman is a possibility, but he is considered a project, and given that the Vikings are set up to win now, drafting him would be a risk Childress likely can't afford to take.

Judd Zulgad • jzulgad@startribune.com