The Facts: Longwell, who spent five seasons with the Vikings after a nine-year tenure with the Packers, almost certainly will be an unrestricted free agent whenever the market opens. Appearing Friday morning on ESPNMilwaukee.com, Longwell made clear he intends to play in 2011 and said he "wouldn't mind going back" to the Vikings.

Diehards Line: Asked if he would consider returning to Green Bay if Packers place-kicker Mason Crosby moves on in free agency, Longwell laughed and said: "You never say never. You just don't know. ..." According to ESPN's Kevin Seifert, it's much more likely that the Packers will re-sign Crosby, to whom they issued a restricted free-agent tender under the NFL's previous offseason rules. The Vikings, however, have yet to reveal their plan for filling Longwell's job if in fact they have decided to move on. Perhaps the Vikings will pursue Longwell once free agency begins. But no matter what condition your franchise is in, Seifert makes a great point when he asks "Why not continue employing a kicker who drilled 43 of 46 attempts over the past two seasons?" As Seifert further noted, Longwell will be kicking somewhere in 2011. The Vikings would be hard-pressed to find a more accurate or reliable option.