The Vikings have made clear that finding a veteran backup to quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is an off-season priority, and now they can check it off their list.

John Clayton of ESPN.com reports that 36-year-old veteran Gus Frerotte has agreed to a deal that will put him back in Minnesota, where he was the veteran backup to Daunte Culpepper in 2003 and 2004.

“The thing is if you watch tape of Gus in St. Louis, you can still see that he can still fling the football and make all the spot throws,” Vikings coach Brad Childress told Clayton. “I talked to Scott Linehan about why he was cut by the Rams, and he told me that [offensive coordinator] Al Saunders wanted Trent Green as a backup because he knew his system, but Scott thought Gus can still play. You can see that he can by watching the film.”

(Whether it makes much sense for Childress and Linehan — two coaches who could find themselves competing with each other for a playoff spot — to share personnel evaluations is another issue for another time.)

Clayton reports that the deal won’t be finalized for a few days, as both sides go over the language of the contract. But it does appear to put to an end any talk that the Vikings might trade for Texans backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels.

Frerotte started three games for the Rams last year, completing 56.3 percent of his passes, with seven touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a passer rating of 58.3.