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As teams like the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers explore the possibility of working out a long-term deal with the Kansas City Chiefs for franchise-tagged defensive end Jared Allen, the looming concern is Allen’s two prior DUI arrests, which culminated in a four-game suspension in 2007 that Commissioner Roger Goodell eventually cut in half.
And due to the elimination from the 2006 revisions to the Collective Bargaining Agreement of sweeping signing bonus forfeiture provisions, any team that gives Allen a huge chunk of guaranteed money will be able to recover only a limited amount of the cash if Allen, for example, celebrates his new contract by bending an elbow moments before driving a car.
So with Allen wanting $30 million in guaranteed money, there’s simply no way for any team to get adequate protection. The easiest (and perhaps only) way for a team to ensure that it doesn’t get burned is to dump a bunch of the money into annual roster bonuses and/or salaries that are guaranteed for injury only. Then, if Allen acts up in any given year, he can be cut and the future financial obligations can be avoided.
Whether Allen has really put his past in his behind (or something), no one really knows. Bucs running back Michael Bennett has vouched for his former Chiefs teammate, according to our friends at Pewter Report: “Jared has really matured and he’s over that,” Bennett said. “I’ve been around the guy and know how serious he takes his job. A lot of people make mistakes and we learn from them.”
But then there’s the little issue of Allen’s restaurant/bar. It’s called Club 69. And if the double-entendre based on Allen’s jersey number wasn’t enough, the club’s far less subtle motto is “Wine ‘Em, Dine ‘Em, 69 ‘Em.”
Yeah, Jared has matured.
Look, he’s a dominant player. He’s arguably one of the best defensive ends in the game. But if this guy thinks that anyone is going to make a huge financial investment without finding a way to protect itself against him having another run-in with alcohol, then perhaps he already has had one.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
jared and carl peterson’s personalities really made this a train wreck… jared wanted his money, and carl always drives a hard bargain. as PFT mentioned, he has a shaky record when it comes to alcohol, and that made peterson more hesitant to shell out money (as it would anyone). its too bad it looks like us chiefs fans will miss out on having a great player like jared due to these unfortunate circumstances
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April 17th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
As a die hard Chiefs fan, I think he’s a great player. And immensely immature. Lets not forget the shit fit he put up last year when the team refused to extend his contract, talknig about how he was never going to sign with them long term, blah blah. I think the team is making a sadly smart move to ship him when his stock is at its highest. I believe that Peterson will hold out until he gets a 1 and a 2, but I guess a one and a 3 is decent for a 4th rounder.
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April 17th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Let’s remember the Vikings front office is who brainstormed the “poison pill” deal to land Hutchinson. Brzezinski is a genius with contracts and the salary cap. I’m sure he can figure out a way to protect the team from any off field discretions Allen may have in the future. It’s sometimes a benefit to bring a guy in that has problems that you know about before you write up the contract. Instead of signing a guy for huge money (McKinney) then have him run into trouble, that we aren’t necessarily protected from. I say throw a 1st and a 3rd at the Chiefs, and a bunch of money with a bullet proof contract at Allen and get this done. He’s a beast without the Williams wall, let’s see what he can do with them.
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April 18th, 2008 at 12:28 am
I hope The vikings get him,they just need to give him a 24 hour driver
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April 18th, 2008 at 12:41 am
Making a trade for this guy at the price being asked is a huge risk. I’m all for adding a DE with great stats and huge potential, but at what price? From giving anywhere from a one and a three, to two ones, plus big money up front and throughout the length of the deal, I can’t see where the chance of it working out is any better than trying to find a young guy in the draft with a #1, #2, or #3 pick this year and trying to develop him. As a life long Vikes fan, we’ve had our share of disappointments at DE and we’re desperate right now. Personally, I can’t see trading away two potential good players and compromising our salary cap on a guy with a big risk. The Vikes, or any other team for that matter, really have to do their homework on this guy and all the DE’s available in the draft this year. It all comes down to making a fair deal with Peterson (no easy task), trusting your team’s front office, and finding a way to protect themselves from the foolish decisions these rich young (indestructible in their own mind) athletes make.
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April 18th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Does it really matter what Allen’s place is called, or what the slogan is? It could be called Allen’s Place or Jared’s Ye Old Timey Tavern, but the larger point doesn’t change at all:
A guy with alcohol problems and two DUIs on his record OPENED A BAR.
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April 18th, 2008 at 2:32 am
that’s my motto too
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April 18th, 2008 at 8:28 am
hahahaha WIN ‘EM, DINE ‘EM, 69 ‘EM!!!!
Absolutely hilarious.
“I’ve been around the guy and know how serious he takes his job. A lot of people make mistakes and we learn from them.”
You know usually when you eff up once like that, especially a DUI, you tend to never do it again…
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April 18th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Why assume that the Chiefs hold the cards? Allen’s history and his money demands put Peterson and the Chiefs in a difficult bargaining position. Allen is one drink away from a substantial suspension. If the Vikings are serious, offer the Chiefs a #1 this year and a conditional #2 next year. If Allen stays clean, the Chiefs get next year’s #2. If Allen misses games because of any off-field behavior, that #2 drops depending on how many games Allen misses as a result of that behavior. Similarly, structure his contract with bonuses for showing up and drop the amount of guaranteed money. Frankly, I am not sure which is worse–high draft picks who have done nothing but want 10’s of millions of dollars or players who have engaged in immature and risky behavior and still expect to be compensated as if nothing happened.
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April 18th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Can’t wait for Jared Allen to franchise that restaurant/club.
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April 18th, 2008 at 9:34 am
I think Brzezinski is a genius, too, but the poison pill has nothing to do with this scenario — the poison pill was something that would potentially work in the financial favor of the person signing the contract (Hutch) and potentially work against the favor of a third party who was not a signatory to or given a chance to negotiate the contract (the Seahawks).
In this scenario, Allen and his agent have all the power. They can refuse a provision in the contract, and they can insist that some other provision be included. And Allen’s agent will not allow himself to be the one that let a contract he negotiated set the precedent that teams may regulate player conduct (essentially waiving a right granted them in the CBA).
If the Vikes (or anyone) are going to sign Allen, they’re going to have to give him a huge contract and run the risk of him falling off the wagon. And even though that risk seems high, I think it’s worth it for a team that really needs a pass rusher… especially when that pass rusher is potentially one of the top three young pass rushers in the game.
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April 18th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Gruden always raves on about high motor guys, especially at the D-line guys like Kyle van den Bosch etc.
I think Jared Allen fits that mold so alltough they don’t need a DE as much as the Vikes the Bucs could swoop in.
They could package a QB or 2 from their collection with a pick.
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April 18th, 2008 at 10:09 am
I think the point with Brzezinski/The Vikings isn’t that they will poison pill Allen — this isn’t a situation that calls for it.
The point is Brzezinski/The Vikings were the first to be creative enough to come up with the poison pill concept. And they have been creative is contracts with unlikely to be earned incentives (such as Pat Williams getting a huge bonus for offensive skill position stats) that result in the Vikings always having some of the most cap room in the NFL.
So they’re creative enough to to come up with a deal that will satisfy Allen, protect themselves financially if he is forced to miss some games, and still not cap themselves out from making other moves that are needed.
The question then will be if they can reach a deal with K.C. But the Chiefs aren’t in a position of power. If the Vikings agree to a deal with Allen and convince him not to work out a deal with anyone else, the Chiefs have to trade him to the Vikings or keep him. So their either can either accept the Vikings trade offer (a generous 2008 1st rounder plus either a 2008 3rd rounder or a 2009 2nd rounder) or the Chiefs can pay Allen a huge contract to be a disgruntled player for a lost 2008 season, then get nothing in return for him next year.
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April 18th, 2008 at 10:34 am
“Wine ‘Em, Dine ‘Em, 69 ‘Em” is the saying on Seabass’s hat in “Dumb and Dumber”.
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April 18th, 2008 at 11:17 am
HEY Florio:
Im one of the biggest Chiefs fans you will meet. I love the Chiefs and pretty much every Chiefs player that comes through KC (thank God Samie Parker is now gone. He was a tough one to love.. or even like a little. Denver knows he can’t catch right?)
Anyway, I obviously like Jared a whole lot as a player. He is the best player on the roster, no question, so naturally I would like to see him stick around. I also understand some serious picks could come our way if we do in fact trade him.
So, I guess I’m asking what the rest of the football world thinks about this proposed deal from the Vikings as my judgement may be clouded due to my allegience to the Chiefs?? Which way seems to favor KC?
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April 18th, 2008 at 11:28 am
“The question then will be if they can reach a deal with K.C. But the Chiefs aren’t in a position of power. If the Vikings agree to a deal with Allen and convince him not to work out a deal with anyone else, the Chiefs have to trade him to the Vikings or keep him. So their either can either accept the Vikings trade offer (a generous 2008 1st rounder plus either a 2008 3rd rounder or a 2009 2nd rounder) or the Chiefs can pay Allen a huge contract to be a disgruntled player for a lost 2008 season, then get nothing in return for him next year.”
Sorry, but the Vikings don’t hold that much power here. He’s negotiating with two teams right now, and it could expand to more I’m sure if they Chiefs were that serious about moving him since a top 3 DE that is only 26 years old would be a hot commodity to a lot teams. If the Vikings don’t pony up what the Chiefs want, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a team that will. This is simply a negotiating ploy by Peterson to let some other team set the market price for Allen, showing that he isn’t worth as much money as he’s asking for from KC. The guy likes KC, he just hates the front office but what player doesn’t hate Carl Peterson?
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April 18th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I’d be very surprised is another team if willing to give up more than what the Vikings are reported as offering (a 2008 1st plus a 2009 2nd or 2008 3rd).
To better either Viking offer a team would have to either:
1. Give up their 1st and 2nd in this draft. Finding a team willing to do that AND have the cap room to sign Allen to a long-term deal is possible, but highly unlikely.
2. Trade their 2008 and 2009 1st round picks. But if that was the case, they could have signed him already and automatically had him (Unless KC matched the trade. I don’t buy that they’re simply waiting for another team to sign him and set his market price.).
The person with the power in this is Jared Allen. He will agree to a deal with the team that is best for him, not who will offer KC the best trade in return. And no one will give up two high picks and trade for him unless he comes to a long-term agreement with that team.
My point was that IF the Vikings can offer him a creative deal that he believes is the best he’ll get, he has no incentive to agree to a lesser deal somewhere else and let KC decide who it wants to trade with. Besides cap money, which the Vikings have, the Vikings should be a good fit because they’ll be a division contender with him (they’ll still be a QB away from being a contender for a run deep in the playoffs) and with Pat and Kevin Williams requiring double teams he should continue to be very productive — possibly more productive than he was in KC.
The Vikings are meeting with with Allen first. It’s a lot like when an unrestricted free agent meets with the first team at the start of free agency. Expect the Vikings to do what they can to convince him to agree on a deal and force the trade.
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April 18th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
The problem for the Vikes is this: They’re going to try getting rid of McKinnie for playfully tapping another gentleman upon the brow, while the Bucs are like “Hey Jerramy Stevens and David Boston, sign with us and get a free box of wine!”
Childress is going to go with Brian Robison’s clean record and above-average ability over the missing piece to MN’s defense becoming the Purple People Eaters once again.
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