The Seattle Seahawks made a surprising move on Friday when they opted to trade wide receiver Percy Harvin to the New York Jets for a conditional draft pick in return. Harvin's career has been an interesting one to say the least. The Seahawks had a lot invested in the receiver after they gave up a first-, third- and seventh-round draft picks to acquire him from the Minnesota Vikings. Not to mention, his contract still had $19 million in guaranteed money left on it. Claiming the trade was a shock, some of the Seahawks are blaming Harvin's absence on the loss to the St. Louis Rams.
The Seahawks were shocked on Sunday when the Rams handed them their third loss of the season. The team had a very slow start on offense, trailing 21-6 at halftime. According to Doug Baldwin, having to adjust to Harvin's absence played a big role in why the team failed to get anything going on Sunday.
"Obviously the shock of the transaction and what took place there made for a bit of an emotional roller coaster," Baldwin said, via ESPN.com. "When something that drastic happens, right before we get on the bus [to go to the airport for the trip], there is going to be an emotional impact. I felt we handled it to the best of our ability, but I think it might have been a factor in some way. There's obviously a lot of things that went on this week that affected the team in numerous ways. As a competitor, you don't want to admit those things. But as a human, it is human nature."
There has been a lot of speculation regarding the reason for the trade. According to ESPN, the Seahawks were prepared to cut Harvin if not deal was made. The wide receiver has reportedly been a locker room issue since arriving in Seattle. He got into a fight with Golden Tate prior to the Super Bowl last year and Russell Wilson just last week. That was the last straw for the Seahawks. However, both Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas deny that there were any issues with Harvin, both calling him a great guy. Wilson only said that any issues between he and the receiver was "nobody's business."
So now Seattle must move on from Harvin. Head coach Pete Carroll reportedly has a lot of confidence in his reserves including Kevin Norwood and Paul Richardson. General manager John Schneider noted he was excited to give both rookies more playing time this season.
"Percy is such a unique talent that he has to be used in a specific manner," Schneider said. "I think you'll see us playing a little bit more like we did last year when Percy wasn't playing. It's an opportunity for guys like Paul Richardson and Kevin Norwood to step forward."
