Percy's future w/ Vikings looking uncertain

[losperros]

Spielman might be looking to sign Wallace and then re-sign Harvin, knowing the price for the former would help set the price for the latter. That would probably mean the Vikings would end up with 2 of the 5 or 6 highest paid WRs in the league on their payroll, which seems unlikely...

It might seem unlikely but I still think there's validity to your point about establishing a price ceiling. Seems to me that the price of Wallace, arguably the most coveted WR free agent, would be a bargaining chip of sorts in re-signing Harvin.

Perhaps I'm seeing this wrong and I admit this is all speculation on my part. Okay, if Harvin wants far more money than what Wallace is asking for, especially if it's more than what the Vikings (and maybe any other NFL team) is willing to pay, then isn't there a risk that no team will sign Percy? The media flow of negative publicity might not help Harvin's case either.

[Mothman]

might seem unlikely but I still think there's validity to your point about establishing a price ceiling. Seems to me that the price of Wallace, arguably the most coveted WR free agent, would be a bargaining chip of sorts in re-signing Harvin.

Perhaps I'm seeing this wrong and I admit this is all speculation on my part. Okay, if Harvin wants far more money than what Wallace is asking for, especially if it's more than what the Vikings (and maybe any other NFL team) is willing to pay, then isn't there a risk that no team will sign Percy? The media flow of negative publicity might not help Harvin's case either.

It probably wouldn't and chances are, if he wants the kind of money Calvin Johnson received, he'll have to settle for less regardless of where he ultimately signs. In other words, I don't think you're seeing it wrong. If Harvin really wants too much, he isn't likely to get it from anyone.

In the end, I doubt the Vikes will sign Wallace and Harvin. It would just be too expensive and even though Harvin is under contract this year and they could conceivably sign Wallace and have both players for a season, that scenario seems more likely to lead to a Harvin holdout and trouble. However, I could see the Vikings waiting until Wallace signs elsewhere and then using that deal, along with the deals Bowe and Jackson received, as models for a new deal for Harvin. Then maybe they add a player like Brandon Gibson and draft a WR in the first few rounds.

I hate to say it but if the Vikes actually do sign Wallace, Harvin's probably as good as gone.

[mondry]

Harvin was clearly mad at some point because we saw it in on camera but my point was that we don't know if there's some lingering anger toward the coach, team, etc. or if this situation is simply about a player going into the last year of his contract and wanting a new, lucrative deal. The latter is a pretty common situation in the NFL doesn't necessitate a player being mad, just dissatisfied with the compensation he's receiving. If we want to call that the same thing, that's fine. I wasn't trying to split hairs, just to point out that assuming "The reason he's mad is because he feels MN hasn't been the best place for him to flourish and receive that opportunity" is a pretty big assumption.

Oh I understand, what I meant is that I'm literally assuming the reports are true and he IS mad. I don't personally believe that or think it's true to that extent but for the sake of discussing why he might be mad, it's easier for me to assume he actually is mad. I've had a cold / fever for the past few days now so it's possible I'm not making any sense.

I can see it too but honestly, it sounds more like it frustrates you.

LOL, very possible!

Again, this sounds more like what you think than what Harvin thinks, which is fine, of course. They're just not the same thing. Has Harvin ever said anything to suggest he feels as you described above? You might be right but without something clearly pointing in that direction, it's just another theory.

Yeah for sure, well, hopefully the beginning of this post explained it a little. It is definitely 100% what I think hehe. All we've ever had to go on is theory and speculation so needless to say, that's what I'm doing heh.

[Mothman]

Oh I understand, what I meant is that I'm literally assuming the reports are true and he IS mad. I don't personally believe that or think it's true to that extent but for the sake of discussing why he might be mad, it's easier for me to assume he actually is mad. I've had a cold / fever for the past few days now so it's possible I'm not making any sense.

No, you're making sense. Now that I've read your comments above, I understand where you're coming from.

I'm sorry to hear about your cold/fever. I hope you feel better soon.

Yeah for sure, well, hopefully the beginning of this post explained it a little. It is definitely 100% what I think hehe. All we've ever had to go on is theory and speculation so needless to say, that's what I'm doing heh.

Understood. Thanks for taking my comments in exactly the spirit in which they were intended.

[dead_poet]

Uhhhh....Sid?

Citing "some good sources around the NFL," the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Sid Hartman reports Percy Harvin has informed the Vikings that he does not want to play for them anymore and "wants to be traded."

Hartman is a columnist with a spotty track record, so keep that in mind. After explaining that Harvin doesn't get along with the coaching and medical staffs, Hartman acknowledges GM Rick Spielman "is in the driver's seat." Harvin is signed for 2013 and the Vikings could keep him with consecutive franchise tags the following two seasons. Additionally, Hartman reports Harvin won't be in attendance when Vikings offseason workouts begin on April 22.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... 14011.html

[losperros]

Uhhhh....Sid?
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... 14011.html

There is no bigger gossip monger than Senile Sid. I quit reading his columns long ago.

[joe h]

Basically Spielman is waiting too long and Harvins stock is starting to plummet. Just trade him already before he truly lets the world know he is a head case and we'll be lucky to get a 2015 compensatory pick.

[Mothman]

Uhhhh....Sid?
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... 14011.html

Sigh... at this point, I have to admit all the reports and unnamed sources have beaten me down and I'm inclined to believe Harvin wants out and wants to be paid like a top 5 WR too. My logical side says we have no more real evidence than we did 4 months ago but a gut feeling says otherwise. At this point, I'm just looking forward to a resolution to the situation and hoping the Vikes come out of it with a better team in the end. If Harvin really wants out, that would be a shame, especially because it seems like he's been treated well by the organization that took a chance on him in the first place, despite his questionable reputation.

[Cliff]

Sigh... at this point, I have to admit all the reports and unnamed sources have beaten me down and I'm inclined to believe Harvin wants out and wants to be paid like a top 5 WR too. My logical side says we have no more real evidence than we did 4 months ago but a gut feeling says otherwise. At this point, I'm just looking forward to a resolution to the situation and hoping the Vikes come out of it with a better team in the end. If Harvin really wants out, that would be a shame, especially because it seems like he's been treated well by the organization that took a chance on him in the first place, despite his questionable reputation.

Harvin's silence on the issue makes me more inclined to believe it too. Reports come out that the Vikings want to trade Harvin and the team refutes it. Reports come out that Harvin wants to be traded and there is silence.

[Purple bruise]

Harvin's silence on the issue makes me more inclined to believe it too. Reports come out that the Vikings want to trade Harvin and the team refutes it. Reports come out that Harvin wants to be traded and there is silence.

No one, even AD, is bigger than the team. I would love to have a happy healthy Harvin on the team but if he is set on not playing here then so long Percy and let's get the most that we can for him.

[Mothman]

LOL! This is amusing. Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com, one of the biggest rumormongers around (not that he doesn't do a good job of it) wrote the following when reporting on Sid Hartman's story about Harvin:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... minnesota/

A day after one writer at the Minneapolis Star Tribune openly bemoaned the extent to which blogs have advanced a story that the Twin Cities print media hasn’t been able to crack, another Star Tribune scribe has dropped a whopper when it comes to the lingering Cold War between the Vikings and receiver Percy Harvin.

Writes the venerable Sid Hartman, “[T]he latest word from some good sources around the NFL is that Harvin, who missed the final seven regular-season games as well as the playoff game because of a serious ankle injury, has told the Vikings that he doesn’t want to play for them and wants to be traded.”

As Dan Wiederer of the Star Tribune dismissively wrote (after six paragraphs of blog-style snark) in response to an item from Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports regarding Harvin’s reaction to Aaron Hernandez’s August 2012 contract with the Patriots, “So what we have now is a story that’s difficult to verify yet can’t really be disproven.”

We wonder whether Wiederer will use the same language when dismissing Hartman’s report as the product of “a hub for all the truth mixed with rumor mixed with gossip mixed with analysis that keeps people energized.”

It sounds like Wiederer touched a nerve.

The blog entry in question was written in response to Yahoo writer Jason Cole's story last week that Harvin wanted to be paid in the "Calvin Johnson" range and that he supposedly threatened to walk out on the team last offseason after hearing about Aaron Hernandez' contract extension. You can read Wiederer's comments here:

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... 32891.html

He makes some excellent points.

[Mothman]

More good perspective from Kevin Siefert:

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_ ... unresolved

Throughout months of discussion, I've maintained it was the Vikings' responsibility to find a way to work through Harvin's misgivings because of his unique and enormous talent. And the appearance of a provocative report, amid possible contract negotiations, should at least be considered through the prism of finance and leverage rather than a true reflection of the player's feelings. There is a long history of NFL players who abruptly withdrew trade requests once the team hit the contract number they sought.

[dead_poet]

Here's what gives me pause; there hasn't been a peep from Harvin OR his agent. Generally when things like this pop up an agent (or the player) will engage in damage control of some kind, if only to make a trade more palatable to potential partners. Odd.

[NDVikeFan]

All I know is I am personally sick of reading all this Harvin Crap. Either sign the guy long term or trade the guy. I would love to see him stay but if he doesn't want to be here you have to get maximum value and move on as a team.

[yezzir]

Harvin's silence on the issue makes me more inclined to believe it too. Reports come out that the Vikings want to trade Harvin and the team refutes it. Reports come out that Harvin wants to be traded and there is silence.

Exactly. Unless Harvin get's a ridiculous amount of $ from the Vikings -- he won't be here.

I'd say 90% chance he is traded.