Percy Harvin Trade: Are the 49ers Gearing Up to Acquire Percy Harvin?
By Josh Hill
The complete and total ramifications of the Alex Smith trade to Kansas City have not yet been felt but there seems to be something brewing. It was speculated as soon as the trade happened that the Niners were gearing up to make a run at Darrelle Revis due to the fact they’re now overloaded with draft picks for this April’s NFL Draft. But while rumors of a Revis-to-Niners trade were shot down this morning by Chris Mortensen, the idea that the 49ers will put together a package of picks for an established star hasn’t gone away.
Here’s the thing about the 49ers: they’re ready to win a Super Bowl now. Jim Harbaugh does not need to load up on rookie talent to secure the longevity of the success the Niners have been having lately. Sure, the salary cap will complicate things and it’s not a bad idea to get young, talented players on the cheap, but it doesn’t make sense if you’re serious about returning to the Super Bowl and winning it.
Meanwhile, up in snowy Minneapolis, the Vikings are in a bind when it comes to what the future of Percy Harvin looks like in Minnesota. Harvin has made it known in the past that he’s not too high on the Vikings and the Vikings are quickly realizing they have a problem on their hands. Harvin is entering a contract season and you’d have to be as high as Harvin was in college to believe he’ll be taking a hometown discount.
Minnesota wants to rid themselves of Harvin, they just won’t admit it or won’t accept anything but a stellar deal for him. And more power to them for holding out for a superb deal as Harvin easily could have been considered a Pro Bowler had he played the whole season. If Harvin is inconsolable and things are truly irreconcilable, a trade is going to happen this offseason before the draft.
San Francisco has as many as six picks int he first five rounds of the draft with half of those picks being either the first or second round variety. The Vikings are not only drooling over the picks the Niners have, they’re popping bottles after looking at the market the Chiefs set by trading Smith for a second rounder. The Chiefs overpaid for Smith, which means the market may not be officially set where Smith has set it, but technically it is.
Even if teams cite the fact the Chiefs overpaid for Smith, the Vikings can fire back with a big fat so what, they made the deal anyways. Harvin is leaps and bounds more talented and more valuable than Alex Smith so it’s not far fetched for the Vikings to demand at least two second rounders for him.
They won’t, but they could.
What the 49ers could do is package their original second round pick with a fourth rounder and send it to Minnesota for Harvin. If that gets the deal done, San Francisco may still have enough to trade into the first round and grab a guy like Desmond Trufant or someone else they need.
Another thing the Niners could do is simply skip trading for Harvin and package a deal that gets them someone like Cordarrelle Patterson or Tavon Austin (who might fall into their laps at No. 34 overall anyway). This way they get a Percy Harvin knock-off at a fraction of the cost.
Basically, something is going to happen in terms of a massive trade for the 49ers and all those draft picks. It may not be a deal that lands them Revis or Harvin or any other established star but it’s going to be something and the chances it’s incredibly significant are insanely high.