While the Vikings contemplate the money it will take to extend Randy Moss' contract beyond 2001, they also have to keep in mind the impending extension of Daunte Culpepper. Can they work both of them out and keep them in purple?

Talks have stalled. Talks will resume. Randy Moss wants the moon. Red McCombs vows to keep him. Denny Green says Moss is going nowhere.

Depending on your source of news, those have been the headlines the last week. Well, VU has cut through the rhetoric and the half-truths being bantered about and has come up with the nuts and bolts of the Randy Moss saga. It comes down to a pretty simple bottom line — $8 million minimum.

Although no numbers are being thrown around publicly, VU has been told Moss wants a new deal that pays him $8 million a year. Being just a third-year pro, a 10-year deal is possible, since he likely has that much football left in him, barring injury. However, VU is being told the sides may settle on a five-year deal or a long-term deal with a four- or five-year escape clause for Moss to check out the landscape then.

The terms of the contract vary. Some reports we’ve heard say Moss wants $15 million up front. Others say he’ll settle for less if a considerable portion of the contract is guaranteed. Any way you slice, the bottom line facing the Vikings cap gurus is that, by 2003, the Vikings are going to commit between $16 and $20 million annually on keeping Moss and Daunte Culpepper playing pitch and catch. The question now is whether that amount of money is worth it.

SATURDAY NOTES
* Moss said Friday he hopes to play at least one more game with USBL’s Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs. Although unimpressive in his first outing, Moss drew a big crowd to Long Island and promises to be a drawing card for any future appearances.
* The Vikings are now less than one week away from the June 1 NFL deadline for contracts. After June 1, a slew of veterans are going to be released and the Vikes are hopeful of getting at least a couple — like CB Dale Carter — to sign contracts. VU has been told that after June 1, Robert Smith will tender his official retirement papers to the league, giving the Vikings approximately $3 million under the salary cap to work with to sign free agents.