The Vikings will meet with Auburn quarterback Cam Newton next week, according to a report. He is expected to meet with Minnesota on Tuesday after meeting with the Bills the day before. The expectation is that Newton will be long gone when the Vikings pick with the 12th overall selection next month.

The work to replace the Metrodome's damaged roof has begun. The first three diamond-shaped panels are being stretched and clamped into place, a process that takes about a day per panel. The work is expected to continue through July.

Workers will begin replacing the Metrodome's storm-damaged roof Friday. The work is expected to continue through July and be completed before Aug. 1, in time for Minnesota's first scheduled preseason game if the league calender remains uninterrupted. The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission opted to replace the entire roof after engineers said they worried simply repairing torn panels wouldn't be enough to prevent another failure.

TCU QB Andy Dalton told NFL Network's Rich Eisen that he is scheduled to visit with the Vikings, as well as the 49ers, Bengals, Redskins and Vikings, and will work out for the Bears, Browns, Chiefs, Patriots, as well as the Bengals and Titans. With the lockout hampering the Vikings' ability to acquire a veteran QB, the team is taking a look at draft-eligible passers the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The Bengals, Dolphins and Vikings will meet with Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet prior to next month's NFL Draft, according to league sources. Some believe that Mallet, who has enjoyed strong workouts, is sneaking into the first round. Cincinnati picks fifth overall, Minnesota has the 12th selection and Miami will go 15th. RealGM's Jeff Risdon has Mallet going 10th to Washington in his latest mock draft.

The agent for Vikings running back Adrian Peterson says comments his client made to Yahoo! Sports were taken out of context. In the interview, Peterson compared the NFL's treatment of players to "modern-day slavery" and said the players are getting "robbed" by the owners. Peterson is scheduled to make $10.72 million in base salary in 2011. He made the statements when asked about the NFL lockout and legal fight between the two sides. "It's modern-day slavery, you know?" Peterson said. "People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too. With all the money ... the owners are trying to get a different percentage, and bring in more money. I understand that; these are business-minded people. Of course this is what they are going to want to do. I understand that; it's how they got to where they are now. But as players, we have to stand our ground and say, 'Hey -- without us, there's no football.' There are so many different perspectives from different players, and obviously we're not all on the same page -- I don't know. I don't really see this going to where we'll be without football for a long time; there's too much money lost for the owners. Eventually, I feel that we'll get something done." Agent Ben Dogra defended Peterson in a statement. "I think anybody that knows Adrian knows that Adrian is a very strong-willed and passionate individual," Dogra said. "The game means an awful lot to him. People should not just take his statements per se word by word. It's a difficult time. He would love to play. I'm sure that everybody would love to see football continue in the NFL and I'm sure at some point it will get resolved. But Adrian, that's what makes him great. He's soft-spoken but if he has something on his mind he'll speak it. But I think nobody should really look at those words and take them out of context."

Washington quarterback Jake Locker will conduct private workouts with at least three teams, according to a league source. Locker will meet with Denver, Minnesota and Tennessee. He is scheduled to meet with other teams as well.

Vikings cornerback Chris Cook says he did not pull a gun on a neighbor during an argument that led to his arrest. Cook said he was riding his bike near his Lynchburg, Va., home Saturday when a neighbor began yelling at him. The neighbor wrongly believed Cook had called police about the neighbor's brother. "You're not going to scream at me like I'm your child so I screamed back at him," the defensive back said. "He thought that I called the police on his brother for some reason. Why would I do that?" Lynchburg Police Capt. Ryan Zuidema told The Associated Press that Cook is accused of brandishing a firearm.

Citizens in Minnesota aren't in support of a new stadium for the Vikings if it means an increase in their taxes. The Vikings want taxpayers to pay more than half the cost for a new stadium to replace the 29-year-old Metrodome, which team executives say is not profitable enough compared to other NFL facilities. The projected cost is nearly $1 billion and politicians are finding it hard to sell the public on the idea. "It's kind of a sucker plan for whatever community gets stuck with it," said Sen. John Marty, a democrat and longtime opponent of public money for stadiums.

Vikings defensive back Chris Cook was arrested in Lynchburg, Va. on Saturday night and charged with brandishing a handgun, according to WSET-TV. Police said Cook, 24, pulled out the weapon during a fight with one other man. Minnesota drafted Cook in the second round of last April's NFL Draft.