Agent: Josh Freeman Picks Minnesota Josh Freeman has a new team, Minnesota has a new young quarterback and Tampa Bay has moved on. This was quite the eventful bye week for the Vikings and Buccaneers. Freeman's agent, Erik Burkhardt, revealed the move in an exclamatory one-word tweet about his client Sunday night: "Vikings!!!" Burkhardt then confirmed to The Associated Press in a phone interview that the 25-year-old agreed to a deal worth $3 million for the rest of the season. Giving Freeman that much money for only 12 games signals a big step away from Christian Ponder in Minnesota. Freeman was released by the Buccaneers on Thursday, a week after he was benched in favor of rookie Mike Glennon. Ponder, the Vikings' first-round draft pick in 2011, struggled in the first three games of the season, all losses. He threw five interceptions and lost two fumbles and didn't get much help from an offensive line that couldn't keep the pressure off of him, or open holes for star running back Adrian Peterson. Matt Cassel took over in the last game while Ponder rested his injured ribs, and he gave the struggling unit a jolt. Cassel brought some much-needed rhythm and timing to the offense while throwing for 248 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-27 win over Pittsburgh in London. But with Peterson still in his prime and an upgraded group of receivers with veteran Greg Jennings and rookie Cordarrelle Patterson, the Vikings need to settle this critical position that has been in flux since Brett Favre faded in 2010 and retired for good after that season. Cassel is 31, and he's coming off consecutive rough years with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Vikings didn't comment on the move. They were scheduled to reconvene for practice on Monday morning. The winless Bucs released Freeman after general manager Mark Dominik contacted every other team in the NFL in an unsuccessful attempt to trade Freeman, a 4,000-yard passer a year ago and the team's career leader with 1,144 completions and 80 touchdowns. Coach Greg Schiano benched Freeman after he completed only 45.7 percent of his passes and posted a league-low quarterback rating of 59.3 through three games. He led the Bucs to a 10-6 record - though not a postseason berth - while throwing for 25 TDs and only six interceptions in his first full year as a starter in 2010. Freeman's release capped a tumultuous month in which he overslept before missing a team photo shoot, was not voted a captain for time since his rookie year, and reportedly missed at least one other team meeting. According to Freeman and Burkhardt, the quarterback has passed all 46 tests administered by the league. Schiano called that a "mutual decision." Dave Campbell on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DaveCampbellAP AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org