Earlier today, we focused on comments recently made by Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield to the St. Paul Pioneer Press regarding his frustration with mixed signals from the team as he enters the final year of his contract.
But now Winfield’s agent, Ashanti Webb, has tried to throw water on the notion that Antoine is angry — and the impression that he might not show up for training camp.
“There is way too much time for me or Antoine to even think
of anything like that,” Webb told Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “As of right now that option has not
been discussed at all. The thing that needs to be crystal clear is
Antoine is not making any demands or threats or anything like that.”
Even though Webb said in May that talks have broken off on a new multi-year deal, Webb indicated that discussions are still occurring.
“At this point right now, the Vikings and I have had talks,” Webb said. “There have been discussions. It would be disingenuous or
inappropriate for me to say there is any kind of hard [deadline]. Where
are we at? July 6. I’m an optimist. They have not said to me, ‘We’re
not doing something.’ I’m not saying, ‘We’re at such a grave
differences that I’m telling them to forget it.’ We’re talking. Not
talking that much but there are discussions. You haven’t heard any
[verbal] jabs from either one of us. . . . I think in the realm of these
situations this has been hospitable.”
But Winfield made more than a few jabs at the team in his most recent remarks, implying that he’d like to be traded if a new deal can’t be negotiated, and suggesting that he might move his family to Houston.
So maybe Winfield is the bad cop, and Webb is the good cop.
Either way, the player and the agent are sending out the same kind of mixed signals about which Winfield supposedly is upset.
Florio,
I’ll play your Bad Cop if you will play my Good Cop! And I’ll shove my night stick up you @$&%!!! Just kidding Mike! I love your website, you are the best info gather of NFL news in the history of the world. I don’t know what I would do without you. Every morning, I can’t wait to see what nuggets you have supplied me with each day.
Antoine is a fantastic corner and one of the best open field tacklers in the league. The fact that the Vikes aren’t getting it done makes me question if the recent lack of longterm commitment to all-pro veterans on the roster that still play at a very high level makes me wonder if Zygi has given up? The guy has invested a lot in the team and community with no support from the state on the stadium issue.
Favre is a one year marketing deal if he leads us to the playoffs and beyond.
Pay him – 3 Years max
Florio, bring back the comment ratings!
This move is indicative of the way Vikings treat their veteran players. Birk, thanks for your years of service for both the team and the community, now don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out. Darren Sharper, thanks for all the blown coverages while you tried to pat your stats, we suck in the secondary but we don’t need you anymore.
Now Winfield, pro bowls are not that common for the Vikings secondary but that wouldn’t stop us when it comes to screwing our better players. Now if Winfield played for the Packers like Sharper, Longwell and soon to sign Brent Favre, the Vikings would fall all over themselves signing the guy.
I don’t care about Winfield.
Mike, it’s been about a week already and still no capability to rate other poster’s comments. I don’t understand why this capability was taken away. Others have commented about returning it also.
If the NBC lawyers allow the language used on this site I can see no good reason why a ratings system would be a problem, and it can’t be a technical problem because during the “hampster” era you had that capability.
C’mon, restore the ratings! Restore the ratings. We’re going to riot, or at least foment upheaval on the site.
Do it, that’s what we pay the hefty monthly subscription fee for.
Yeah, Florio, bring back the comment ratings!
Favre really isnt going to cost the Vikes to much though…
Vikes better sign Winfield. They are going to be in trouble without the William’s wall for the first four games already. They don’t need a completely wide open secondary to deal with.