Percy Harvin Sees This Year as a "Contract Year"

While we've all seen or participated in the debates over talented wide receiver Percy Harvin's potential value to the team, either as trade bait or as a primary offensive contributor, we've all been worried about what this brewing uncertainty means for the 2012 season moving forward.

The Vikings have a well-publicized depth problem at wide receiver, and Percy Harvin has been viewed by many commentators as the best potential weapon the Vikings have on the offensive side of the ball, given Adrian Peterson's high-profile injury.

The team has taken a strong stance towards the issue, and has continuously stated that they are in no mood for a trade. While movement from either camp has died down, we can be sure that there's tension between Harvin and the Front Office.

One thing we do know, however, is that Percy Harvin has been fully committed to attending minicamps and practices as the Vikings move forward in installing their offense. Reportedly, the young wide receiver's thoughts on the matter have shifted once more, and he sees himself in a contract year.

Per the fine folks at ProFootballTalk:

While it's still not clear what made Harvin unhappy and what transpired to turn him around again, a source with knowledge of the 2009 NFL offensive rookie of the year's mindset tells PFT that Harvin now regards his fourth season as a contract year -- even though he still has two years left on his contract.

They go on to speculate that Percy's performance will perhaps influence the Vikings' willingness to deal with and resolve any outstanding issues Percy has with the team and his contract situation. The Vikings have a history - one that Spielman has stated he will follow - of extending overperforming players in the last year before their contract is up.

Naturally, your reaction to the story will hinge a great deal on your opinion of the reliability of "a source," but I tend to place great stock in these sorts of leaks.

If the folks at Football Freakonomics are correct, we should expect an uptick in his performance given this attitude. Regardless, if there's any truth to this new development, we can at least rest assured that Harvin remains committed to success and will approach any new potential issues with this frame of mind.

For now.