5:40pm: The Vikings have officially announced the signing via Twitter.
4:18pm: The Vikings have agreed to a one-year deal with free agent safety Taylor Mays, reports Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Mays, who played for coach Mike Zimmer in Cincinnati, paid a visit to Minnesota last week.
In five NFL seasons with the 49ers and Bengals, Mays has made 84 tackles, recorded one sack, and recovered a pair of fumbles. While his numbers aren’t exceptional, Mays is a solid contributor on special teams, and drew interest from multiple teams when he hit the market this month. Washington had been eyeing Mays, and the Bengals also had interest in re-signing him.
In Minnesota, Mays will join a secondary that also features safeties Harrison Smith and Robert Blanton. Smith is a lock to start in 2015, but Mays could challenge Blanton for playing time. Even if he doesn’t land a starting job, Mays should still see occasional snaps on defense for the Vikes, in addition to playing special teams.