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Free agent safety Taylor Mays is expected to have dinner with the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday night, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.
#Bengals S Taylor Mays will have dinner with #Vikings brass tonight and have a free agent visit tomorrow. Intriguing options for Mike Zimmer
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2015
The Minnesota Vikings had already reached out to Mays, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, last week. Mays, who played three seasons under former defensive coordinator and current Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, is an unrestricted free agent. There's a similar connection in Washington, where mutual interest exists between both parties. Redskins head coach Jay Gruden was Cincinnati's offensive coordinator for three years while Mays was in Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati Bengals reportedly "have a strong interest in keeping" safety Taylor Mays in Cincinnati, but according to ESPN NFL reporter Josina Anderson, that decision is up to the player. "It's up to Taylor", a team source told Anderson on Sunday night. Initial reports from Pro Football Talk suggested that Mays could have upward of five suitors -- including the Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins.
The Bengals used a seventh-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft to trade for Mays on August 23, 2011. Once his rookie contract expired after the 2013 season, the Bengals re-signed Mays to a one-year deal worth $755,000 with a $40,000 signing bonus. Mays only played 61 defensive snaps in 2014, and finished fifth on the team with five special teams tackles and a blocked punt that led to a safety against the Jaguars.