New Vikings QB Josh Freeman in no hurry to be starter

Lindsay H. Jones | USA TODAY Sports

Josh Freeman didn't pick the Minnesota Vikings because he was promised a shot at becoming the starting quarterback.

Freeman said Monday night that one of the reasons he chose the Vikings over other possible destinations is because the presence of starter Christian Ponder will allow him to "pump the brakes" after a wild final few weeks in Tampa Bay that included his demotion, reports of his inclusion in the NFL's drug program and his eventual release last Thursday.

"Right at the beginning, right when I heard I got cut, it was kind of, 'I want to get back in there right away,' but in all honesty, from the standpoint of a career move, the thing I really liked about the Vikings is they've got a guy," Freeman said. "They've got a situation where I can come in and learn the system, and whether they call for me and need me to play, that's one thing."

Had Freeman signed instead with a team like the Buffalo Bills, he would have been in the starting lineup this weekend, in a new system, with new teammates. The Vikings, meanwhile, already have said Freeman will not play Sunday against Carolina.

If Ponder is healthy, he will start. If Ponder's broken rib is still not healed enough, Matt Cassel will play again after leading the Vikings to a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago in London.

"I'm not saying I was promised anything – I was not," Freeman said. "The only thing I was promised was the chance to be part of a first-class organization, be put into a role where I could nurture myself as a player, I could go out and throw no matter what the situation is."

It isn't difficult to grasp the subtext there.

Freeman's relationship with Tampa coach Greg Schiano deteriorated rapidly over the past month and became one of the messiest coach-quarterback feuds in recent NFL history, culminating in Freeman releasing a statement last week in which he indirectly accused the Buccaneers of leaking private medical information.

Schiano previously had said Freeman was late for meetings and slept through the team's picture day earlier this year.

Asked Monday night what went wrong between himself and his former coach, Freeman stuck to football.

"Obviously he didn't feel I was the guy he wanted leading his team," Freeman said.

The Vikings' decision to sign Freeman to a one-year contract does raise significant questions about the team's commitment to Ponder, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2011 draft.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said he spoke with both Ponder and Cassel on Monday about the decision to sign Freeman, and that Freeman "understands the situation" that one of the other two quarterbacks will start this week.

Ponder's rookie contract will expire after 2014, with an option for 2015, and a decisio will be made on that after this season. Freeman again will be a free agent after this year.

"This has no determination of where Christian Ponder is. We think Christian Ponder has a bright future," Spielman said. "Right now, my main focus is, part of my job, is to make sure I get the best 53 players on this roster, and at the end of the season, we'll make an evaluation like we always do and make a determination going forward.

"By no means is this a reflection that we're disappointed in Christian Ponder or disappointed in Matt Cassel. ... Just an opportunity to go out and add a football player we have high regard for."

Spielman said he watched at least 40 of Freeman's games, dating back to Freeman's college career at Kansas State, since Freeman became available Thursday and was reminded of all the reasons the Vikings liked him before the 2009 draft. The Vikings drafted receiver Percy Harvin at No. 22 overall in that draft, five picks after the Bucs selected Freeman.

Spielman said the Vikings also did their "due diligence" to find out what went wrong for Freeman in Tampa. Spielman declined to reveal what the team learned but said he had no concerns about Freeman's character.

"We're very familiar with him as a person," Spielman said. "We felt very comfortable and confident bringing in not only a quality player but quality person."