Greenard reveals the contract negotiations and financial demands that led to his departure, explaining his pursuit of a new deal and fresh start.
Jonathan Greenard has a new home in Philadelphia after the Minnesota Vikings moved him on day two of the NFL draft. It was speculated that a separation between both parties would happen, but it became a reality while the Vikings were selecting in the second round.
Greenard has shed some light on the situation and how it all came to fruition while on Chris Long's podcast.
"We kind of wanted to see other teams to see if they were, if I was worth what I was asking for,” Greenard told Long. “We saw who actually stepped up to the plate on that… We already knew Philly was in the picture; we knew a couple of other teams were there as well. I think they obviously just went different ways once they saw what the compensation would be and understood that they still have to get a new contract."
“Make no mistake, everybody knew that it wasn’t about me not wanting to be in Minnesota. That was not at all the case. We knew that it was strictly about contract and money at this point. As an edge guy, we understand how much we can affect the game. And whenever I see that my worth is, I’m not going to say not viewed the same, but yes, kind of essentially that.”
When Greenard mentions "we," he means himself and his agent. It was clear that Greenard was looking for a fresh start and a new bag. Philadelphia provided both.
Interim GM Rob Brzezinski explained the move and praised the player after the second day of the draft.
“He’s an impact player,” Brzezinski said (h/t Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune). “It’s something we understand is not making the Minnesota Vikings a better team today. But there’s a lot of factors involved, and particularly with the economics, we were able to reach a resolution that made sense for the Vikings.
“We’re going to miss him. We’re happy he was able to get himself a new contract, but this is not something we’re jumping around excitedly about. We did feel like it was the best thing for the organization moving forward.”
Eagles GM Howie Roseman is pleased with the move.
“What you see is a relentless player with physical tools. He can win in multiple ways; he is hard to block,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said (h/t Tim McManus of ESPN). “I know when we play Minnesota, we are worried about where he is at all times. We just felt like we had a really good D-line, but we really wanted to elevate it to another level.”