The Percy Harvin saga is officially coming to an end. After expressing his unhappiness with Minnesota and ruining his relationship with team, Harvin is now on his way out. FOX Sports' Jay Glazer is reporting that the Minnesota Vikings have traded Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks in return for draft picks.
The Harvin trade comes just after the receiver made comments on Sunday about how he does not want to play for the Vikings anymore and has requested a trade from the team. Vikings' general manager Rick Spielman had told media the team had no intent to trade the young wide receiver and was looking forward to him reporting to offseason workouts on April 22. Now it seems the team has had a change of heart and is moving on without him.
Harvin was a first-round pick by the Vikings who selected him No. 22 overall. Since entering the league, he has been considered one of the most explosive and versatile wide receivers, proving he can play both in the slot position and be a deep-pass threat while also contributing to kick returns on special teams. In 54 career games in Minnesota, he had 280 receptions for 3,302 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2009 as well as earning a trip to the Pro Bowl that same year.
Harvin is recovering from a severe ankle injury that left him missing the last seven games of the season in 2012. He still managed to lead the team in receiving with 62 catches for 677 yards and three touchdowns. He is expected to be fully healed by the time training camps open.
The Seattle Seahawks were one of the best teams in the NFC last season. The addition of Harvin makes an already deadly offense even scarier. The team's leading receiver last season was Sidney Rice who caught 50 passes for 748 yards. Harvin pairing up next to him will make a solid receiving corps for quarterback Russell Wilson who completed 64.1 percent of his passes last season.
Harvin and Seattle head coach Pete Carroll do have a slight connection dating back to their college football days. Harvin visited Carroll back, who was the head coach of Southern California at the time, back in 2005 on a recruiting trip. Harvin then committed to University of Florida a few weeks later.