--The agent for cornerback Antoine Winfield said contract talks with the Vikings have ceased and that "no further negotiations are planned." Winfield will be entering the final season of a six-year contract in 2009. The two sides had been discussing an extension for the past few months. Winfield, however, turns 32 in June and will be entering his 11th NFL season. That could definitely have played a factor how many years and how much money the Vikings were willing to offer.
--The Vikings will begin their practices as part of their Organized Team Activities on Tuesday at Winter Park. The team's mandatory minicamp will be May 29-31.
--Demaurice Smith, the new executive director of the NFL players association, met with Vikings players at Winter Park this week to introduce himself and discuss the collective bargaining agreement and other issues.
--Wide receiver Percy Harvin, the Vikings' first-round pick, is believed to be fully recovered after missing the team's rookie minicamp because of illness. Harvin should be able to take part in all the OTAs as well as the mandatory minicamp.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Certainly a player of Brett Favre's (caliber), a Hall of Fame quarterback, with the competitiveness he has. That is a player that we would have interest (in) as we would have in other players. But again, there is a process of evaluation, a variety of facts that go into it and that has to play itself (out). I defer to our coach and our personnel people to really evaluate those issues." -- Vikings co-owner and team president Mark Wilf when asked where things stood on Minnesota's potential pursuit of Favre, who retired from the Jets in February but has since been given his release and is free to return if he so chooses.
