Vikings, MSU extend contract through '15

John Cross/The Free Press

The Vikings will continue to hold Training Camp at Minnesota State University through 2015, making it 50 years that the team will spend its preseason in Mankato. The NFL franchise and the university announced the a three-year contract extension on Monday.

According to Dan Linehan's story in Tuesday's Free Press, the Vikings will pay MSU $135,000 this year and next year to rent facilities, including dorms. The team will stay in the Sears residence hall this year now that its longtime home of Gage has been demolished (the Vikings used Sears in 2010).

As for Training Camp beyond 2016, a Vikings spokesman said there are no plans to change things up at this time. Of course, that year is when the team will move into its new stadium in downtown Minneapolis. However, that building will not have a practice facility.

For more on this, read press releases from the Vikings and from Minnesota State.

The Vikings report for this year's camp on Thursday with the first practices taking place on Friday morning and afternoon at the Blakeslee Stadium practice fields.