Another Purple Convert!

In 2004, Ryan Longwell kicked a pair of last-second field goals to give the Green Bay Packers huge victories over the Minnesota Vikings.

In 2006, he'll have a chance to do the same to his former club from the opposite side of the rivalry.

After nine seasons in Green Bay, Longwell signed a five-year, $10• million deal (including a $3 million signing bonus) with the Vikings Saturday, less than 24 hours after the NFL's free agency period began.

Longwell said talks with the Packers "ended about a week ago. It was time to move on. We felt that from their end."

In Minnesota, Longwell rejoins ex-Packers safety Darren Sharper, who was cut by the team last offseason and signed with the Vikings the next day and was named to the Pro Bowl.

"(Sharper) did a lot of great things for the Packers in the past, and when he came back he got booed out of the stadium," Longwell told reporters at the Vikings' facility in Winter Park, Minn. "I don't expect to be welcomed back, but I'm very proud of what I accomplished in Green Bay. I know this Vikings-Packers rivalry is about as heated as it gets. I'm happy to be wearing purple and be on this side of the battle for the next bunch of years."

Longwell, 31, was one of the NFL's most accurate kickers despite the less-than-friendly wind and field conditions of Lambeau Field, making 81.6 percent (226 of 277) of his regular-season kicks with the Packers.

After joining the team in 1997 when third-round pick Brett Conway bombed in training camp, Longwell was 118-for-143 (82.5 percent) at Lambeau, while opposing kickers were 92-for-125 (73.6).

Asked if kicking in a dome was appealing to him, Longwell said, "It absolutely factored in. I have braved the winds and the field and the cold in Lambeau for a long time. So there has always been an appeal to me to see what I can do in a neutral environment. It certainly was a factor, being able to play in a controlled environment."

The Packers, meanwhile, must find a replacement who can handle the inclement Wisconsin weather.

"Ryan has been an outstanding Packer and we're sorry to lose him," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. "We wish him well. Losing players is part of free agency. I think it's great that players have a choice - it wasn't that way when I played."

One possibility is New England's Adam Vinatieri, though he could be too expensive for Thompson's tastes. The Packers do have a connection with him, as vice president of player finance Andrew Brandt was once Vinatieri's agent.

Two other kickers, the San Francisco 49ers' Joe Nedney and the Buccaneers' Matt Bryant, re-signed with their teams Saturday, leaving Vinatieri, Indianapolis' Mike Vanderjagt, Atlanta's Todd Peterson and Paul Edinger, the Vikings' kicker last season, as the biggest names on the market.

After making made 24 of 28 field-goal attempts (85.7) in 2004, including four game-winning kicks, Longwell struggled with punters B.J. Sander and Ryan Flinn as his holders last season and connected on just 20 of 27 tries (74.1), his worst accuracy mark since making 20 of 31 attempts (64.5 percent) in 2001.

"I think last year with everything that happened, it was time for a fresh start," Longwell said. "The second we got here this morning, it felt like the right place to be."