EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Greg Jennings spent seven years getting the best of the Minnesota Vikings secondary while playing for their bitter rivals in Green Bay.

No longer feeling as important to the Packers after two seasons shortened by injuries, Jennings crossed the border and found a team that welcomed him with desperately open arms.

Jennings signed a five-year contract with the Vikings on Friday, leaving Aaron Rodgers and that high-octane passing offense in Green Bay for the unproven Christian Ponder and the ground-and-pound Vikings.

The 29-year-old Jennings played in only eight games for the Packers in 2012, plus two in the playoffs, because of a torn lower abdominal muscle and finished with a career-low 366 yards receiving with an average of 10.2 yards per catch, also his worst NFL total.

In 2011, he missed three games with a sprained left knee. He said he felt lost in the shuffle behind younger Packers receivers such as James Jones, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb and sounded determined to prove that his best years are not behind him.

“I can definitely still do it,” said Jennings, who will turn 30 on Sept. 21. “I can definitely still make plays and be as exciting as I was in my earlier years.”

Then he caught himself and chuckled.

“I am not old,” he said. “I am 29 years old!”

If this story of a high-profile Packers player joining the Vikings sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Safety Darren Sharper, kicker Ryan Longwell and, of course, quarterback Brett Favre defected before him.

“I’m not the first Packers player to jump on this side,” he said with a smile.

Like the others, Jennings will be counted on to fill a gaping hole in Minnesota. The Vikings were in dire need of a No. 1 receiver after trading Percy Harvin to Seattle last week. Even when Harvin was in purple, Ponder had yet to play with a true game-breaker on the outside.

“You can just get a sense that he needed a little more around him to give him some help,” Jennings said. “Hopefully I can help him a little bit.”

Looking to give his young quarterback as much help as possible to truly evaluate his ability to be a building block for the franchise into the future, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman went against his philosophy of spending big money on outside free agents to get Jennings locked up. ESPN first reported the deal, which includes $18 million in guaranteed money and up to $47 million total.

The Vikings didn’t stop with Jennings.

Matt Cassel is signed, sealed and delivered in Minnesota, and there is no question what his role will be with the Vikings.

“The fact of the matter is,” Cassel said in a conference call on Friday, “Christian is the starting quarterback.”

When Cassel agreed to terms on Thursday, there was speculation that he was coming in to compete with third-year starter Christian Ponder for the No. 1 job.

But Vikings coach Leslie Frazier and GM Rick Spielman stand firmly behind Ponder, who has been up and down in his first two seasons.

In other moves in NFL free agency:

Jets sign former Steelers OL ColonA person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that the New York Jets have signed former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Willie Colon.Colon, a fourth-round draft pick by the Steelers in 2006, will add depth to the Jets’ offensive line and could potentially fill one of the guard spots with Brandon Moore and Matt Slauson free agents.The deal is for one year, $1.2 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the signing.

Chargers, Woodhead agree on 2-year dealThe San Diego Chargers have agreed to a two-year contract with former New England Patriots running back Danny Woodhead.Woodhead is expected to complement Ryan Mathews, who’s been plagued with injuries and a fumbling problem.Woodhead was New England’s second-leading rusher with 301 yards and four touchdowns on 76 carries while catching 40 passes for 446 yards and three scores.He spent two seasons with the New York Jets and three with the Patriots.