Pieces of the puzzle: Vikings get Donovan McNabb, lose Sidney Rice, keep Ryan Longwell

The Vikings have their quarterback, they have their kicker, but they've lost their No. 1 receiver.
While the deal to acquire Washington's Donovan McNabb in a trade for two future sixth-round picks is "done," according to a person with knowledge of the situation, wide receiver Sidney Rice changed the Vikings' offensive dynamic by signing a reported five-year, $44 million deal with Seattle worth $18.5 million guaranteed.
Efforts to reach Rice were unsuccessful, and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said he's not talking with the media.
Kicker Ryan Longwell has signed a multiyear deal to return to the Vikings, a rep with Frank Bauer, Longwell's agent, confirmed to the Pioneer Press. The deal is expected to be worth $12 million over four years, including $3.5 million guaranteed.
But the Vikings were hoping a Rice return would balance out an offensive attack already solidified in the running game behind Adrian Peterson and in the short-to-intermediate passing game with slot receiver Percy Harvin and tight ends Visanthe Shiancoe and Kyle Rudolph.
Now they need vertical threats, which might be enough to keep Bernard Berrian and his $3.9 million salary.
Except for Harvin's 71-catch performance last season, the Vikings are struggling to find an identity on the edge. Berrian failed to score a touchdown for the first time since 2005. Greg Camarillo (20 catches, 240 yards) never found his rhythm in the offense after coming to Minnesota in a late-August trade. Free-agen
acquisition Devin Aromashodu is a role player at best after 10 catches with Chicago last season. The remaining crop is unproven - Jaymar Johnson, Juaquin Iglesias and former Canadian Football League star Emmanuel Arceneaux have one career NFL catch between them. Some of the top wide receivers left in free agency include the New York Jets' Braylon Edwards, San Diego's Malcolm Floyd, Jacksonville's Mike Sims-Walker and Green Bay's James Jones. Don't be surprised if the Vikings at least inquire about these players' contractual demands.
Rice, who has been injured in three of his four seasons, has 146 career receptions for 2,129 yards and 18 TDs. Rice had his best season with Brett Favre in 2009, catching 83 passes for more than 1,300 yards and eight TDs on his way to a Pro Bowl vote. But he had only 17 catches for 280 yards after sitting out much of last season after hip surgery.
Seattle likely offered more money than the cash-strapped Vikings, who entered free agency hovering around the salary cap limit of $120.4 million.
Longwell still made financial sense as a vital piece of the puzzle for the Vikings. He connected on 94 percent (17 of 18) of his field-goal attempts last season, the best in the league among kickers with at least 13 attempts.
Since entering the league in 1997, Longwell has made 339 field goals on 406 tries, or 83.5 percent. He has played the past five seasons with the Vikings after nine years in Green Bay.
Longwell is the first of the Vikings' 16 unrestricted free agents to re-up with the team since negotiations began Tuesday.
As for McNabb, the Vikings must restructure his five-year, $78 million contract that was signed last season to a lesser amount, possibly under a one- or two-year commitment as the team grooms first-round pick Christian Ponder to eventually take over.
According to transition rules under the new collective bargaining agreement, a player whose contract is restructured after a trade can't practice with his team until Aug. 4, when the new league year begins. The rule forces McNabb to miss up to five practices at training camp in Mankato, which begins Monday.
Washington benched the six-time Pro Bowler twice last season in favor of Rex Grossman. McNabb completed 58.3 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a 77.1 passer rating.
Former Vikings coach Brad Childress, who was McNabb's offensive coordinator in Philadelphia, said Wednesday on NFL Network that he expects to see a resurgent McNabb.
"If I know Donovan, he has a chip on his shoulder right now," Childress said. "He's an 'A' character guy."
Briefly: The Vikings have signed 14 rookie free agents: Rod Huntley, G, UTEP; Allen Reisner, FB/TE, Iowa; Marcell Gipson, CB, Wyoming; David Akinniyi, DE, N.C. State; Byron Isom, G, Auburn; Andre Holmes, WR, Hillsdale; Devon Torrence, CB, Ohio State; Ryan Hill, FS, Miami; Conan Amituanai, G, Arizona; Matt Asiata, HB/FB, Utah; Chris Adingupu, FS, Prairie View; Dominique Johnson, WR, Cal Poly; Larry Dean, LB, Valdosta State; Nathan Whitaker, K, Stanford