There's no chance former Green Bay Packers QB Matt Hasselbeck will return to Green Bay in 2011, but he's an interesting free agent target because he's clearly the best free agent quarterback available. That doesn't mean that he's all that good, but the crop of true free agent quarterbacks is really bad. While many QBs are rumored to be available, Carson Palmer, Kevin Kolb, and Donovan McNabb as three examples, all of them are still under contract and have to be released or traded.
Apparently Hasselbeck is looking for more than $7 million per season. From Pro Football Talk:
Speaking on ESPN 710 AM radio John Clayton doubted the Titans would sign Hasselbeck because of the pricetag.
"[The Titans] are not gonna offer $7 million — which is what Hasselbeck’s been offered [by Seattle] — and then have $14 million tied up in the quarterback position, and then really just have Matt as a transitional guy," Clayton said. "I think Kerry Collins would be willing to accept $3, 4 or 5 million."
$7 million per season is what Jake Delhomme received from the Browns in 2010 on a two-year deal. Yes, he's been a disaster and Hasselbeck isn't much (any) better, but that should be the minimum contract he's likely to receive.
I could easily see the Vikings paying him that, as it has been rumored. With Christian Ponder on long-term, they'd be looking for a short term answer, and I don't expect they'd be eager to trade any draft choice for a short-term veteran.