It's usually all about the money. But Percy Harvin's problems are reportedly not about the money.
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports that Harvin's complaints with the Vikings have been about football, not his contract. La Canfora's source says that Harvin's trade requests have been "based on the limitations of Minnesota's passing game" and not his deal.
So basically Harvin wants out because of Christian Ponder. That should go over well. Ponder, for one, didn't sound overly optimistic about Harvin sticking around after the season.
"Obviously, it'd be nice to have (Harvin). He's a heck of a player," Ponder told KFAN-FM via PFT. And later: "He had a lot of leadership qualities. He was a good teammate." It sounded like Ponder expected Harvin to get dealt this offseason.
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Even if Harvin's unease isn't about his contract, he's entering the last year of his deal. La Canfora says the issue could come to a head at the NFL Scouting Combine next week if the Vikings aren't confident they can reach a deal. Harvin is expected to hold out this offseason. This isn't the first time we've heard that Harvin isn't happy with his role and/or the direction of the offense.
It sounds like Harvin is essentially attempting to make the Vikings have no choice but to trade him, even if they'd prefer to keep their best wide receiver by a wide margin.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.