Birk travels to meet Ravens

Center Matt Birk made the first free-agent trip of his 11-year career Tuesday when he visited the Baltimore Ravens.

"It was very strange at first," Birk said. "It was weird. I was like a little nervous coming here."

Birk, a six-time Pro Bowl pick, visited the Ravens training facility after arriving in the afternoon. The Ravens are in need of a center to replace Jason Brown, who signed with the St. Louis Rams.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think it was a strong possibility," Birk told the Baltimore Sun.

Birk is an unrestricted free agent and the Vikings have said they want to bring him back. There are indications the Vikings could be willing to match any offer Birk receives.

Birk will take a physical and continue to meet with Ravens officials today and likely will receive a contract offer at that time. Birk also has an offer on the table from the Vikings.

"We have an offer from the Vikings that is not unfair," said Birk's agent, Joe Linta. "[Vikings executives] Rob Brzezinski, Rick Spielman and George Paton have been more than patient and fair in this process and they are all good guys. ... This is a decision Matt has to make based on his relationship with the Vikings and based on what he has down there [in Baltimore]."

Birk told the Star Tribune he will make a decision by Thursday. Asked if it will be a difficult decision, he said: "Oh yeah, absolutely. It will be a difficult decision."

Linebacker Heath Farwell visited the New England Patriots and is scheduled to make a stop in Cleveland to check out the Browns before returning to Minnesota. Safety Darren Sharper also wrapped up a visit with the New Orleans Saints and returned home with no deal. The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported the interest between both sides remained high.

Vikings restricted free-agent fullback Naufahu Tahi will visit the Bengals on Thursday. Tahi was given the low tender ($1.01 million) by the Vikings before free agency started. The Vikings have the right to match any offer he receives.

The fact the Seattle Seahawks offered free-agent receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh a $40 million, five-year deal with $15 million in guarantees certainly played a major role in his decision not to come to the Vikings, but that wasn't the only factor. The Vikings' quarterback situation apparently did not help matters.

Houshmandzadeh offered some insight during an appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show," which airs locally on 690-AM, The Score.

"Ultimately, I thought when I started comparing things, you look at the guy who is going to touch the ball every play and that's [Seahawks quarterback] Matt Hasselbeck and that kind of weighed the decision a little bit in the favor of the Seahawks," Houshmandzadeh said.

• The Vikings released backup linebacker/special teams player Vinny Ciurciu. He played in 15 games last season, primarily on special teams.