Vikings (for now) offensive lineman Nick Easton has three teams from which to choose, and he intends to make his choice soon.

Via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Easton intends to make a decision by Monday as to his next destination.

The finalists are the Vikings, the Saints, and a supposed mystery team. As Tomasson notes, the Saints have a heightened urgency to lure Easton, given that he can play center and that their starting center, Max Unger, recently retired.

With Mike Remmers cut after he refused to re-do his deal and Tom Compton a free agent, the Vikings need interior offensive linemen. But they also need to be careful with cap dollars.

“We’re going to make sure we’re prudent with our decisions,” G.M. Rick Spielman told reporters on Thursday regarding the team’s offensive line. “I have a pretty good sense of the strengths and weaknesses of what in free agency, and I have a pretty good sense of the strengths and weaknesses of what’s in the draft.”

The cap-strapped Vikings surprisingly found a way to re-sign linebacker Anthony Barr without having to cut defensive end Everson Griffen. So far, only Remmers and safety Andrew Sendejo have been let go as the Vikings try to fit plenty of big contracts under the annual cap limit.