Paul Allen Says Former Vikings Are Negatively Influencing Danielle Hunter
Paul Allen rarely criticizes the Minnesota Vikings or, for that matter, takes shots at anyone. The beloved voice of the Vikings, who hosts the popular “9 to Noon” show weekdays on KFAN, describes himself as the head cheerleader of the purple.So when he went after Danielle Hunter, who is not at OTAs this week, my ears perked up.
“Let me lay it out,” he told Paul Charchian, who co-hosts the Friday Football Feast with him. “Danielle is embarrassing himself by doing this.”
“I believe that him having a problem with his deal and this team is dead accurate,” Allen said, “or he’d be at OTAs.”
Allen and Charchian proceeded to debate the merits of Rick Spielman’s tendency to overpay players like Hunter and Adam Thielen while they are on the rise, with the intent of retaining them on a cap-friendly salary once they are playing at their best.
“It makes you wonder if it’s worth trying to do what is the right thing on an emergent player,” Charchian said after providing context to Hunter’s contract, “and signing him to a deal before he blows up because all that does is kick the problem down the road two years.”
Hunter signed a five-year contract in 2018 that pays him an average of $15 million a season. Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa signed a five-year extension last season that pays him an average of $27 million per year.
Allen and Charchian speculated that the Bosa contract is playing into Hunter’s current contract demands. Conventional wisdom indicates that it is. The added wrinkle here is that Allen says former Vikings are in Hunter’s ear about it.
“Where I feel bad for somebody I genuinely adore — I adore Danielle Hunter, man, he’s the genuine article as a person and as a player — is he has some former Vikings in his ears,” said Allen, “and it’s changing the complexion of where this thing is going. Hopefully, it stops.”
This is novel information that hasn’t really been reported anywhere. Apparently former, and one would assume disgruntled, Vikings are in Danielle Hunter’s ear, and it has changed his perspective on the situation. The natural question is, who? And the natural guess is Stefon Diggs.
We won’t ever know the truth, but it’s easy to believe that the former Vikings star, who was also drafted in 2015 and has found massive success elsewhere, was able to get inside Hunter’s head. Not what fans want to hear.
The conversation on-air continued.
Charchian argued that it’s human nature for a player to want to be paid as much as his contemporaries. Producer Eric Nordquist weighed in, saying that it was fair for Hunter to chase the market for his services.“He’s in a spot where he says, ‘I was out with a neck, look at your defense without me. Look at the lack of productivity,’” said Nordquist.
“I’m not,” said Allen, cutting Nordquist off. “And I know the guy.”
“Okay, off a neck injury, being given $30 million to play one season,” Allen continued, combining Hunter’s average salary across two seasons rather than using his cash payment. Hunter was paid $10.5 million in 2019 and $11.5 million last season. “It’s embarrassing that this is happening.”
Embarrassing is a pretty dramatic word for Paul Allen. But it’s a word that likely gives a glimpse into how the Vikings’ organization currently feels. Allen rarely editorializes, and when he does, it is often lock-step with what the organization is thinking and doing.
No matter how you feel about Hunter’s demands, Allen’s comments made it clear that there is easily as much to these rumors as Vikings fans feared.
Why are we still hearing from Diggs? Dude, you're gone. you whined and cried your way outta town, just STFU already - you've been replaced.
Cryptic tweet this, BIATCH
Sports talk show fodder. Charchian and Allen, lmao. I could NOT be paid enough to listen to them. I don't say that because of what is being said here, I say that because they suck.
Whatever you think of PA, it's clear the Danielle Hunter/Vikings Happy Train is either teetering on the tracks headed for a sharp corner, or it's already derailed.
This situation sucks. I don't want the Vikings to lose another all-pro caliber player. Hopefully both sides can make up. Thankfully their Aaron Rodgers/GB stuff is getting all of the headlines so this thing hasn't fully come to a head for us, yet.
Poor, poor Danielle. I mean, how's a guy expected to get by on a measly 15 mil salary in today's world? :/
If the dude doesnt want to be here, trade him. Hes worth a couple very high picks. Maybe two firsts? As good as he is he sat all last year. He has a neck issue. Nobody knows if its entirley healed or not.
Minus Moss the vikings have come out on top on trading away players.
@"AGRforever" said: If the dude doesnt want to be here, trade him. Hes worth a couple very high picks. Maybe two firsts? As good as he is he sat all last year. He has a neck issue. Nobody knows if its entirley healed or not.Minus Moss the vikings have come out on top on trading away players.
You just made a solid case why he's not worth 2 firsts. IMO he's worth more to the Vikings on the field than in a trade right now. We were extremely smart/savvy/fortunate/lucky(?) to get Jefferson out of the Diggs trade. If we'd gotten Reagor, Ruggs, or some other Treadwell 2.0 that Diggs trade wouldn't be going down as smoothly as it is. I'd rather not tempt fate twice. Really hope Spielman can get Hunter to come to the table and fix this.
Don't feed into the bullshit. They are looking for likes and clicks. I am going to wait and see what happens.
@"Vikergirl" said: Don't feed into the bullshit. They are looking for likes and clicks. I am going to wait and see what happens.i dont see it that way, PA is the Vikings front office puppet, he puts out steam and information for a reason for them, sure he still has his own takes, but on a deal like this he wouldnt be taking such a hard line against a Vikings star unless the team has acknowledged that there is an issue and IMO he wouldnt be dumping lighter fluid on the thing if the front office was ok with it.
I have to think that PA coming out like this is showing truth to the rumors, even if Hunter shows next week, it hardly means he isnt ready to make a stink about his deal.
@"Vikergirl" said: Don't feed into the bullshit. They are looking for likes and clicks. I am going to wait and see what happens.You’re free to follow or believe what you want for sure. And I’m hoping it’s nothing too. But where there’s smoke for going on 9 months, there’s usually fire.
@"pattersaur" said:Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. He is trying to feed the narrative of conflict and outside influences. He knows who pays him. Hunter's agent put out their side and now the team is putting out theirs. There are only 2 options. Obviously Hunter here and healthy is the best one. Hope it works out.@"Vikergirl" said: Don't feed into the bullshit. They are looking for likes and clicks. I am going to wait and see what happens. You’re free to follow or believe what you want for sure. And I’m hoping it’s nothing too. But where there’s smoke for going on 9 months, there’s usually fire.
My guess is the player is Griffin.
Regardless, Danny is under contract. The new CBA pretty much makes it financial suicide to hold out during training camp.
See you in July, Danny.
@"Vikergirl" said: Don't feed into the bullshit. They are looking for likes and clicks. I am going to wait and see what happens.Exactly. I don't know why people get so worked up over this. Should Danielle be making more? Yep. Should the Vikings wait until they know more about the injury? Yep.
Well, there ya go. An understandable impasse. Give it time.
@"BarrNone55" said: My guess is the player is Griffin.Regardless, Danny is under contract. The new CBA pretty much makes it financial suicide to hold out during training camp.
See you in July, Danny.
Or Diggs... he's the only recent ex-Viking that played with Hunter and forced his way out because he wasn't happy with his role/contract/etc.
@"Wetlander" said:@"BarrNone55" said: My guess is the player is Griffin.Regardless, Danny is under contract. The new CBA pretty much makes it financial suicide to hold out during training camp.
See you in July, Danny.
Or Diggs... he's the only recent ex-Viking that played with Hunter and forced his way out because he wasn't happy with his role/contract/etc.My guess is its Kluwe. :)
@"BarrNone55" said: My guess is the player is Griffin.Regardless, Danny is under contract. The new CBA pretty much makes it financial suicide to hold out during training camp.
See you in July, Danny.
Yep. If he doesnt want to show up, fine his ass. Prove you're back to your old self then they will pay you.
@"Wetlander" said:@"BarrNone55" said: My guess is the player is Griffin.Regardless, Danny is under contract. The new CBA pretty much makes it financial suicide to hold out during training camp.
See you in July, Danny.
Or Diggs... he's the only recent ex-Viking that played with Hunter and forced his way out because he wasn't happy with his role/contract/etc.
Could definitely be Diggs. I say Grif with the assumption that they probably built up a relationship on the practice field, film room, weight room, etc.
@"BarrNone55" said:@"Wetlander" said:@"BarrNone55" said: My guess is the player is Griffin.Regardless, Danny is under contract. The new CBA pretty much makes it financial suicide to hold out during training camp.
See you in July, Danny.
Or Diggs... he's the only recent ex-Viking that played with Hunter and forced his way out because he wasn't happy with his role/contract/etc.
Could definitely be Diggs. I say Grif with the assumption that they probably built up a relationship on the practice field, film room, weight room, etc.
Would you take career advice from Grif? Not that players always have the best influences and such, but yeah Grif doesn't seem like the career counselor type.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"Vikergirl" said: Don't feed into the bullshit. They are looking for likes and clicks. I am going to wait and see what happens. Exactly. I don't know why people get so worked up over this. Should Danielle be making more? Yep. Should the Vikings wait until they know more about the injury? Yep.Well, there ya go. An understandable impasse. Give it time.
This is pretty much it. He wants more money. We want to see he's healthy before giving it to him. I don't know why people are on the doom and gloom train. Is there any evidence that Hunter wants out more than he wants to be paid what his peers are making?
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