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The Dolphins have been expected to be heavy bidders for wide receiver Mike Wallace in free agency for some time and it looks like they’ll have some company from up north.

Jeff Darlington of NFL.com reports that the Vikings are expected to join the Dolphins in the quest to add Wallace to their offense. That’s not surprising news, given the state of the Vikings’ receiving corps with Percy Harvin and the lingering possibility that they won’t wind up having Harvin in the fold when the 2013 season gets underway.

With the Dolphins missing out on several big targets over the last few years, it would be a cruel twist for them to lose out to one of their former general managers. Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman once ran the show in Miami and now he could keep the Dolphins from landing the apple of their eye.

The Vikings might not be the only bidder. Peter King said the Titans could be in the mix for Wallace on Tuesday’s Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network and it wouldn’t make Dolphins fans feel any better if Ruston Webster is the one who winds up landing the big fish. They’ve been the bridesmaid for players (Vincent Jackson, Peyton Manning) and coaches (Jim Harbaugh, Jeff Fisher) often enough that there need be no special salt in the wound for it to sting all over again.

Darlington reports that the team thinks the new three-day negotiating window this year will work to their advantage since it will give them a better sense of the market than they had when the Buccaneers outbid them for Jackson last year. That could wind up working the other way just as easily, though, and we it’s hard to imagine why that would make the Dolphins likelier to get him than being able to sign a player as soon as possible. In other words, we’ll still be waiting to see if the wind blows the Dolphins’ way this time around.