McNabb would give the Vikings a veteran quarterback while they groom first-round draft pick Christian Ponder, who was drafted 12th overall out of Florida State in April to be the team's long-term answer at the position. The original preference for coach Leslie Frazier and the Vikings was to have Ponder start Week 1 in San Diego, with a veteran backup there just in case.

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That was before the NFL lockout prevented players from working out with coaches all summer and put Ponder behind schedule in his development. That makes it more imperative for the Vikings, who had Brett Favre on the roster the past two seasons, to add a quarterback they think can win games with a roster full of veterans while Ponder gets up to speed.

From the sounds of it, Ponder isn't conceding anything just yet.

"Excited to have McNabb join," Ponder wrote on Twitter on Wednesday morning, perhaps jumping the gun just a little bit. "Will learn a lot from a Pro Bowler. But that doesn't mean I'm not still fighting to start week 1!"

Ponder was billed as the most NFL-ready quarterback in the 2011 class, but not being able to work with new offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave and most of his teammates at various minicamps and organized team activities throughout the summer would make it a bigger challenge for him to be ready to start in San Diego on Sept. 11.

Ponder said last week during a workout at the University of Minnesota that he still was aiming to be the starter from Day 1.

"That's what I'm pushing for," he said. "That's what I'm hoping for. So we'll see what happens."

To fill the void at quarterback, ESPN is reporting that the Redskins have agreed to terms with former New York Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens on a one-year deal.