In perhaps a trade even bigger than the one that sent quarterback Alex Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs from San Francisco, the Seattle Seahawks have acquired human Swiss Army knife Percy Harvin from the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings in turn will receive a first round draft pick (25th overall) and a seventh round pick for 2013, as well as a mid-round draft pick for 2014. The trade is pending a physical.
The move ends a period of headaches and frustration for Harvin and the Vikings, both literally and metaphorically, as Harvin suffers from crippling migraines that have caused him to miss playing time in the past. He played just nine games last season, although that was unrelated to the aforementioned issue.
Harvin has been disgruntled in Minnesota for some time now, however, and already asked to be traded in 2012 before eventually backing down from that claim, and went on to have a highly productive season until injuries forced him on to injured reserve.
When Harvin is on the field, however, he is among the deadliest weapons in the game, as a wide receiver, a running back, and a return man. Harvin led the league among receivers with 8.7 yards after the catch per reception, and broke 22 tackles, 5 more than the next highest receiver despite missing seven games, just to give an idea of the explosiveness that the four-year pro brings to the table.
The deal triggers images of a scary read-option offense in Seattle with the highly mobile Russell Wilson at quarterback and the dynamic Marshawn Lynch at running back. Harvin also immediately bolsters a somewhat weak receiving corps. The Seahawks are suddenly a much more well-rounded team with this one move, making parting with the draft picks an easy decision to make, as they are a young team hungry to compete for a championship in the here and now, believing they should have been in the NFC title game this past season.
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