The worst kept secret in the NFL this past week was that the Minnesota Vikings were going to trade disgruntled wide receiver Percy Harvin. That's what makes Monday's trade of Harvin from the Vikings to the Seattle Seahawks all the more amazing.
When the story broke that Percy Harvin had thought about walking out on the Vikings during their drive to the playoffs, Minnesota Vikings fans pretty much knew team officials weren't happy with him.
Combine that with the fact that Harvin was entering the last year of his rookie contract and it was a foregone conclusion that Harvin's days as a Viking were history.
In a situation like that, it's amazing that the Vikings got more than a fourth round pick in this year's draft. Remember that Chicago paid Miami a pair of third round picks for Brandon Marshall. Baltimore traded Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth round pick.
Those are a pair of All Pro quality wide receivers that got traded for a pair of third round picks and a sixth round pick. According to DraftCountdown's Draft Value Chart, that combination of picks are worth a second round pick towards the middle of the round.
Rick Spielman, the Vikings' GM, got the twenty-fifth pick in the first round of this year's draft, the Seahawks seventh round pick in this year's draft and the Seahawk's third round pick in the 2014 draft.
The Vikings are expected to make a push for either Greg Jennings of the Packers or Victor Cruz of the NY Giants. If they sign Cruz, they'll have to pay the Giants a first round pick as compensation. If they sign Jennings instead, they'll 'just' have to sign Jennings to a multi-year deal averaging about $10,000,000 a year.
In the Jennings scenario, they'd still have the twenty-third and twenty-fifth picks in this year's first round plus nine other picks to stock the Vikings with talented players for years to come.
ESPN's Bill Polian said that this trade helps both teams. That's the emerging concensus around the NFL, though Vikings fans didn't take the news well at first. If the Vikings come out of this offseason (free agency, which starts today, and the draft) with 4 starters, including some potential Pro Bowl players, they will have gotten a king's ransom for a guy they weren't going to resign after next year anyway.
The general rule of thumb with the draft is that first round picks should play in a handful of Pro Bowls during their career. Second round picks should be solid starters for 8-10 years.
Percy Harvin is a talented football player. That said, anyone who can't get along with Head Coach Leslie Frazier has issues. Frazier is about as likeable and decent a man as you'll find in the NFL.
When this offseason is over and they're strapping on the pads, the Vikings will have restocked their talent in a major way. That's well worth trading a disgruntled player for.
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