Wade's exit from Vikings triggers negative buzz

Bernard Berrian walked into the Vikings locker room Thursday morning wearing Bobby Wade's practice jersey. Asked if that was his show of support for the veteran wide receiver, Berrian said, "Always. Definitely is."

The Vikings' decision to cut Wade was met with surprise, disappointment and some anger inside the locker room. The move came a week after Wade reworked his contract and took a pay cut from $3 million to $1.5 million for this season. In exchange, Wade was set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

Wade led the team in receptions the past two seasons, but his role diminished with the arrival of first-rounder Percy Harvin. Wade was rumored to be on the bubble as roster cuts neared, but essentially taking a 50 percent pay cut seemed to indicate his job was safe.

"It's just the brutal side of the business," said kicker Ryan Longwell, whose locker was next to Wade's the past few seasons. "He was very popular in the locker room and a guy everybody liked. We all know the business side. We're all looking over our shoulders. I've been doing it for 13 years. But when the reality strikes, it's kind of crushing."

The Vikings signed wide receiver Greg Lewis, who was cut by the Patriots after spending six seasons with the Eagles. Vikings coach Brad Childress served as Lewis' offensive coordinator from 2003 to '05.

"I just think at the end of the day we look at it and just felt like it made us better," Childress said. "I'm appreciative of everything [Wade] has done for us here the last couple of years. But we felt like we had a chance to make ourselves better with Greg. I have some background with him. I think he'll be able to come in here and get up to speed relatively quickly."

By cutting Wade on Thursday, the Vikings still must pay him a "game check" for Sunday's season opener at Cleveland, which is roughly $88,200. Wade declined comment in a text message, but his agent, Jerome Stanley, sent a one-sentence response when asked about the Vikings decision.

"I believe your behavior defines who you are," he wrote.

The timing of the move was surprising -- three days before the season opener and on the heels of the two sides restructuring Wade's contract. Berrian said that Wade's agreeing to the pay cut made it more difficult to see him leave.

"Definitely a lot harder," he said. "And then he still ends up getting released. But you know, it might turn out to be a better situation for him and he'll probably become a great addition on somebody else's team."

Said Longwell: "We don't know all the facts but what we do know is he restructured to take a pay cut to stay here and then this happens. It's sad. He was a good friend. He was my locker mate. We had a lot of good banter back and forth. It's just a sad reality to the business."

Childress admitted that some players might not agree with the decision. Vested veterans get their full salary if they are on the season-opening roster. Teams can pay them on a week-by-week basis if they are signed starting Monday.

"Things change and I'm sure you'd have people say, 'Well, that's a [raw] deal,' " Childress said. "But it's going to happen all the time. ... It happens every year. It's the business portion. As I told Bobby, we had a sit-down, that's never an easy discussion to have."

Childress said Wade was understandably surprised and disappointed.

"At that point, all those guys want to do is get out of Dodge," he said. "We were able to get him out when nobody was around. I'm sure he talked to all these guys on the phone. It's always tough."