MINNEAPOLIS -- Sage Rosenfels' performance this preseason could have won him the No. 2 quarterback job with the Vikings. Instead, it earned him that spot with the New York Giants.

In a move that is sure to raise plenty of eyebrows, the Vikings sent Rosenfels and running back Darius Reynaud to the Giants on Friday evening in exchange for a reported fifth-round choice in the 2011 draft and a conditional pick in 2012. The trade reduced the Vikings roster to 73 players, meaning they must cut 20 more by 5 p.m. CDT on Saturday to get to the 53-man regular season limit.

"We felt like we could better ourselves with the future considerations involved in the trade," Vikings coach Brad Childress said in a text message. "Obviously, the Giants had a need and we feel like we have two able-bodied guys behind Brett (Favre) right now."

Those two guys are Tarvaris Jackson and rookie Joe Webb, a sixth-round pick from Alabama-Birmingham. Webb, who the Vikings originally intended to convert into a receiver, has shown himself to be athletically gifted but still has to be considered a project when it comes to playing quarterback in the NFL.

Jackson was outplayed by Rosenfels in the preseason but Childress did not waver in his feeling that the former should be ahead of the latter on the depth chart. That caused the Vikings to look to move Rosenfels, who had been obtained in February 2009 from Houston for a fourth-round draft pick in that year's draft.

"I'm excited," said Rosenfels, who will leave for New York on Saturday morning. "It's one of the traditionally best teams in the NFL so that's exciting and to get a chance to work with Eli (Manning). He won a Super Bowl, and it's one of the greatest cities in the world. It's definitely one of my favorite cities so that's an added bonus."

The Giants got Rosenfels to serve as Manning's backup after losing Jim Sorgi for the season because of a shoulder injury. That had left the inexperienced Rhett Bomar as the team's No. 2 quarterback.

Rosenfels will be one step higher on the depth chart than he had been in Minnesota. For whatever reason, Childress and Rosenfels never appeared to click personality-wise.

It was especially surprising during the June minicamp when Rosenfels took few snaps on the second day and none on the third as Jackson and Webb got all the work.

Rosenfels, though, elected to focus on the positive Friday.

"I think you go into every opportunity with high expectations and high hopes," he said when asked if he was sorry things didn't work out better with the Vikings. "I feel like I put all of my energy into having as much success as I could have and this team could have over the course of the last year and a half. I have no regrets about how I approached coming to work every day. I have the utmost respect for those guys on that team.

"I learned a ton from (offensive coordinator) Darrell Bevell and (quarterbacks coach) Kevin Rogers. Stuff that I'll try to carry onto anything I can help Eli with or those coaches with. Obviously playing with Brett was a once in a lifetime experience that I'll cherish forever. ... But I'm excited about this opportunity and hopefully we can have some of the same success that we had last year with the Vikings I can have with the Giants this year."

The deal is contingent upon both Rosenfels and Reynaud passing physical examinations with the Giants.

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