News & Info/Headlines
They bought high (2009 first-round pick) and somehow sold even higher (2013 first-round pick, plus more), getting real value from a guy they so badly wanted to trade that GM Rick Spielman declared publicly and loudly that the Vikings had “no intent” to trade him.
In Seattle, it never got to the point where anyone knew there was even a problem. Last year, there was a hint of the old Harvin as the deadline approached for moving Harvin, who had surprise hip surgery at the outset of training camp, from the PUP list to the active roster. Rumors circulated that Harvin would soon be put on injured reserve, which were aimed at getting him to work harder to get himself ready to contribute at some point in the eventual run to the Super Bowl.
Harvin looked pretty good against the Saints in the divisional round before exiting with an injury. In the Super Bowl, Harvin provided a glimpse of the field-tilting presence he could be in 2014, via a jet sweep that the Broncos couldn’t stop. But for a dominant performance from the Seattle defense, Harvin easily could have been the Super Bowl MVP.
This year, Harvin had only 225 yards from scrimmage in five games. Against the Cowboys, he had six total touches for minus-one yards.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Harvin was not the easiest player to deal with in the locker room, and the Seahawks were in the market to deal him for "several weeks."
As NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal notes, the off-field issues are not a new story. The Vikings had numerous documented problems with Harvin during his four seasons there, including him badmouthing quarterback Christian Ponder. NFL Network's Albert Breer reports that Harvin's "anger management issues" followed him to Seattle.
While the truth may never fully emerge, Florio reports that initial indications suggest that there was stress between Harvin and quarterback Russell Wilson, with Wilson feeling too much pressure to get the ball to Harvin. That pressure surely came from only one person -- Percy.
Rapoport reports that Harvin was difficult for offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to integrate into the Seahawks' offense. He's not your average receiver that runs the entire route tree and can get open on his own. Seattle had to scheme plays to get him the ball, and they were struggling to do so. Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider run a tight program and Harvin apparently didn't get with it.
And so instead of keeping around a guy who really didn’t contribute much to the run to the Super Bowl and who potentially would undermine the attempt to get back to the Super Bowl and win it again, the Seahawks cut the cord on Harvin.
As Florio put it, "It’s a lesson to all the other teams that would keep a guy around to justify a mistake. Instead of making a second mistake, the Seahawks admitted the first mistake and moved on. ..."
Worth noting, Seattle Times staffer Bob Condotta, the Seahawks gave no hint of the trade as they left team headquarters to make the trip to St. Louis on Friday after practice. Harvin practiced with the team Friday.
However, Carroll’s post-practice meeting with the team was delayed as he ran upstairs to team offices, then returned to meet the media. When asked about Harvin, he said only that he had practiced and would be listed as questionable.
“He practiced today,’’ Carroll said. “He got through today. So he’s on the list as questionable.’’
The team then boarded buses for a flight to St. Louis with the trade announced as the team was on the way to the airport.
The trade of Harvin will also clear the way for Seattle to get more playing time out of two receivers it took in the 2014 draft -- second-rounder Paul Richardson and fourth-rounder Kevin Norwood. Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Ricardo Lockette get an immediate bump.