It also occurred on the same day the Saints traded wide receiver Eddie Kennison, the team's top pass catcher in 1999, to the Chicago Bears for a fifth-round choice in this year's draft. New Orleans acquired Kennison just one year and three days ago from the St. Louis Rams for a second-round draft choice.

While the Saints hardly got a good return on their investment in Kennison, his exit was the latest reminder that the rookie tandem of general manager Randy Mueller and coach Jim Haslett plan to quickly put their imprint on the club.

"No question I'm still in a little shock," Kennison told SportsLine on Monday night. "Even when you hear the rumors, you don't expect something like this to happen." The Saints recently granted Kennison and his agent permission to seek a trade.

Reed, 32, will sign a two-year, $4.2 million contract and said he is "thrilled to have the chance to be back in a position to make something happen again."

The nine-year veteran, along with guard Randall McDaniel and tight end Andrew Glover, was released by the Vikings the day before the start of the free agency period to help Minnesota get under the league's spending limit. Glover joined the Saints last week and on Sunday Haslett hired former Vikings wide receivers assistant Hubbard Alexander to fill the same spot on his staff.

Bothered by injuries each of the last two seasons, Reed's production has slipped and Vikings officials privately hinted his conditioning was poor in 1999, when he appeared overweight. He also dropped far too many passes the last two seasons. But for a Saints team trying to overhaul its passing attack, Haslett and Mueller felt he was worth the gamble.

It wasn't that long ago, they reasoned, that Reed was the prototype for the bigger wideout (6-feet-3, 216 pounds) with good deep speed. In 1997, they pointed out, Reed caught 68 passes for 1,138 yards and six touchdowns. In the two seasons since, he averaged 39 catches for 558 yards and three touchdowns. In 1999, when Reed forfeited playing time to the younger Matthew Hatchette, he had just 44 receptions.

"What happened (in Minnesota) is old news," Reed said. "This is a fresh start with a team that's hungry to get it turned around. I like what I saw when I met with them. So far, they've been very aggressive. It doesn't take much in this league to turn things around fast, you know?"

Reed entered the league as the Vikings' third-round choice in the 1991 draft. In nine seasons with the team he had 386 catches for 6,124 yards and 32 touchdowns. He had four straight 1,000-yard seasons (1994-97) and in that stretch averaged 74 catches and 1,200 yards.

Saints officials expect Reed to at least vie for the No. 1 receiver spot. New Orleans also signed former Kansas City wide receiver Joe Horn as an unrestricted free agent. Kennison had 61 catches and 835 yards last year, both team highs.

A native of Lake Charles, La., and a former LSU star, Kennison came home last year hoping to resurrect his career. He was a first-round draft choice of the Rams in 1996 and scored nine touchdowns receiving and two more on punt returns his rookie season. But his numbers fell off dramatically the next two seasons in St. Louis, precipitating the trade to the Saints.

Once viewed as a rising star, Kennison, 27, will be joining his third different team in three years. The Bears, seeking a deep threat, are thrilled to have him. "We still consider him a quality player and a guy who's still explosive," said one team official.

Wide receiver Curtis Conway, the onetime deep-ball threat for the Bears, suffered through a 1999 season marked by injuries. In his absence, three-year veteran Marcus Robinson became the go-to receiver for Chicago quarterback, but offensive coordinator Gary Crowton still coveted a wideout with sprinter's speed and Kennison fits that mold.

The deal for Kennison almost certainly means the Bears will end their attempts to re-sign former starter Bobby Engram, who has gotten little attention in the free agent market.