Oct 14, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen (69) laughs during the pre-game at FedEx Field against the Washington Redskins. Mandatory Credit: Paul Frederiksen-USA TODAY Sports

The hours leading up to the NFL trade deadline were dominated by rumors about Jared Allen, with multiple teams reportedly being involved in talks to acquire the 31-year-old defensive end. In the end Allen stayed in Minnesota, but it wasn’t for lack of trying on the part of the Vikings.

In his NFL Confidential segment Friday, Dan Pompei explained why those trade talks came to nothing despite the Vikings’ relatively modest demand of a third-round pick. The short version? Jared wanted too much money. Pompei:

What prevented a deadline deal for Jared Allen? According to sources with knowledge of the situation, it was a combination of factors. The Vikings were willing to trade the defensive end for a third-round pick. Allen was only interested in going to a contender. The Seahawks and Broncos wanted him and were given permission to negotiate a contract with Allen. But Allen would have taken up $7.5 million of cap space unless he was signed to an extension. A major hurdle was Allen has his sights set on a bar-setting deal that neither team was interested in giving the 31-year-old. Another factor: Winning teams are cautious about adding an established star to the locker room for fear the chemistry could be upset.

Jared said before the season that there was no way he would renegotiate his contract. Some thought Jared might be amenable to redoing the contract if it facilitated a trade to a contending team but evidently those people were wrong. When Jared says he absolutely won’t take less money, he means it.

Trading Allen may have helped the Vikings but Allen clearly saw no upside in it for him, so he scuttled the trade talks. You can’t blame him for looking out for his own interests. After the season he will shop himself around, looking for that “bar-setting” deal he hopes to score. I have a feeling Jared is in for a rude awakening.

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