Palmer, Vikes Agree To Deal

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 23, 1999 / 7:29 PM EST / CBS Sportsline

Minnesota Vikings kick returner and third-down specialist David Palmer has agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth $7.35 million, including a $1.6 million signing bonus.

The agreement averages $1.83 million a season and led the fifth-year player, who is a free agent, to cancel visits to Miami on Tuesday and Baltimore on Wednesday.

Palmer, a second-round draft pick in 1994, likely will wait until March 1 to sign the deal, when he's in the Twin Cities, said his agent, Russ Campbell.

Palmer is in Birmingham, Ala., recuperating from off-season arthroscopic shoulder surgery.

Last season, Palmer became the first Viking since Herschel Walker in 1989 to return a kickoff for a touchdown, and he broke Eddie Payton's 1980 team record for combined kick and punt return yardage, with 1,435 yards. On offense, he caught 18 passes for 185 yards and rushed 10 times for 52 yards.