Well that was an exciting period of free agency. I finally was able to come out of hibernation after being a free agency glutton for the past two weeks. My diet consisted of a strict regimen of Adam Schefter, Chris Mortenson and Ben Volin tweets. And sparingly, Jeff Darlington, but only on my cheat days.
One thing I wanted to add before we jump into the acquisition of Percy Harvin is that I encourage all readers to freely comment via Livefyre or email me at [email protected]. I will respond to every email I receive and, if induced, will spar with you if you have a differentiating opinion. It's all in good fun though.
Onward to the article in regards to Percy Harvin.
To the ecstasy of many Seahawk fans, the Seattle brass decided to trade for Minnesota Vikings Pro-Bowler and former Florida Gator Percy Harvin. At first glance, the trade for Harvin looks like an ingenious move, particularly in the growth of young quarterback Russell Wilson. But I remain skeptical of this move as there are many caveats surrounding the playmaker.
1) Injury problems: Seahawk fans should have a bittersweet memory of Harvin going down with a sprained ankle in Week 9 of the 2012 campaign. At the time, Seahawk fans were subtly elated (not to be taken as malicious intent) as Harvin, other than tight end Kyle Rudolph, was the Vikings only receiving threat. He ended up missing the rest of the season, six games in total; but it should be noted that his ankle was a lingering injury, and he only exacerbated the situation by playing and more importantly, competing. The guy has grit.
Let's look back a little further though, remember when Harvin missed three games in his first two years and was held out of practice on several occasions? He had migraine issues, which caused him to lose focus during games and dull his competitive edge. But wait, there's more! A recent report put forth by Mike Florio speculated that Harvin was just conjuring the migraines just so that he could aggravate and provoke the Vikings brass to trade him. (Mike Florio's article can be read here ….http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2013/march/mike-florio-questions-percy-harvin-s-migraines-with-no-evidence.html)
Personally, I am not convinced that Harvin faked his migraines just so he could create strife with the Vikings head officials. Especially when considering that when he first started playing, he was alongside then teammate and future hall of fame quarterback, Brett Favre. With such a competitive team, and arguably, Super Bowl caliber team (Adrian Peterson was also on that squad), it seems unlikely that he would put on this huge facade'.
Before even submitting this article, I can faintly hear fellow fans saying that his talent outshines all the injury history. But let's be pragmatic Seahawk fans, given his checkered injury history, it suggests that he has the potential to be an injury headache (like my little joke there?)
2) The trade and contract: So let's break this down into two portions. First the trade. The Seahawks relinquished their 2013 1st (25th pick) and 7th round selections, as well as their 2014 3rd round pick. That to me seems a little expensive. Is Percy Harvin first round talent? Sure. What I find questionable is the Seahawks relinquishing their 2014 3rd round pick. A 3rd pick is a top 100 player pick, meaning that the Hawks gave up a top 25 player and a top 100 player just for Harvin. Just not sure his ornate skill set will be able to justify this sort of move. Add in his new regal contract, and things, at least in my eyes, start to sour.
The contract that the Seahawks awarded Harvin will have a huge on impact on the Seahawks future cap space. According to Profootballtalk.com, Harvin's new deal is worth an estimated $67 million dollars over six years, with only $14.5 million fully guaranteed. Looking at this in a contract scope, the $14.5 million dollars is relatively low for a player of his level; however, the $67 million is quite staggering. Which brings me to the full circle; the Seahawks traded valuable picks for a guy who they gave a potential $11 million dollars a year contract. That is a huge investment and bearing in mind his injury history, a huge risk.
A high risk, high reward move. One that Pete Carroll and company hope will render some success. Don't get me wrong, I think that Percy Harvin is vastly talented and will augment the Seahawks offensive scheme, but there always remains that faint "what if". In conclusion, I have no qualms with Harvin’s contract as it has low guaranteed money, meaning that, if he fails to produce, he can be cut to save the cap space. Where I have a problem is the amount of draft value they gave up.
Overall Trade Grade: B-
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