The Seattle Seahawks shocked the NFL world late last week when they traded one of their most talented players, Percy Harvin. Many recognize the name because of his standout career at the University of Florida, or his iconic kick return that helped Seattle dominate the Broncos in last year’s Super Bowl.
Harvin was traded to the New York Jets, a team that has a blusterous Head Coach (Rex Ryan) but doesn’t have much offensive identity. The Jets fell to 1-6 last week after losing to the New England Patriots. The direction of this trade seems to be the most curious part of the entire thing. Usually teams performing as poorly as the Jets try to unload playmakers in an attempt to acquire draft picks in a rebuilding process.
Similarly, teams like the Seahawks that are perennial contenders usually attempt to acquire as many tools as possible to make another deep playoff run. With top teams devaluing draft picks lately it wouldn’t be surprising at all if the Hawks had traded for an elite outside threat to add to their productive yet relatively unheralded receiving corps.
This move doesn’t make any sense from a football standpoint. Seattle let Golden Tate walk away in free agency this offseason. Trading away Harvin has left Russell Wilson with limited options in the passing game. The emphasis will now fall on Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and rookie second-round pick Paul Richardson to pick up the slack in the passing game. Wilson has outstanding chemistry with both Kearse and Baldwin, but neither has the kind of game-breaking ability that Harvin possess.
The Jets now have one of the top set of skill players in the league, something that they have sorely lacked in the last several years. With the addition of Harvin and the offseason addition of the always-productive Eric Decker along with rookie tight end Jace Amaro, the clock is officially ticking on whether or not second-year pro Geno Smith can be the Jets’ answer at quarterback.
One of the most frustrating things for Hawks fans is the lack of compensation for Harvin. Less than two years ago, Seattle gave up a first-, third- and fifth-round pick for the then Vikings receiver. The Jets get Harvin at a bargain sixth-round pick that could turn into a fourth depending on how well Havin plays. The Seahawks will also have over seven million dollars against the cap next year from the trade. This means that Seattle won’t actually have to pay him, but NFL teams can “spend” 154 million on their team next season. In a year when the Seahawks have to find enough money to pay Russell Wilson, things could get interesting for Seahawks when roster cuts come out.
After the trade was announced, it has been heavily speculated that the trade occurred because Harvin was becoming a problem in the locker room. Harvin allegedly got into altercations with both Russell Wilson and Golden Tate last year. The latter altercation ended when Harvin punched Tate in the face a few days before the Super Bowl, leaving a bruise that can be seen in pictures of Tate raising the Lombardi trophy.
Harvin becomes one of the few elite players who will have now played for three teams during his prime. The list of others includes three embattled wide receivers: Terrell Owens, Randy Moss and Brandon Marshall. Harvin is in his sixth NFL season but is still relatively young at 26. Harvin still has plenty of time to turn his career from underperforming prima donna to elite receiver, but only so many teams will give him a chance, and time is running out.
