Jared Allen has started 80 straight games for the Minnesota Vikings, and he's been paid well to do so.
The 31-year-old pass rusher is set to earn $14.3 million this season while counting more than $17 million against the cap. For the first time in more than half a decade, Allen also finds himself in a contract year.
Dan Wiederer of The Star Tribune spoke with Allen, who confirmed that the Vikings haven't asked him to restructure his contract for 2013 -- and haven't said a word about a new contract.
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"You use the word 'restructure,' and that -- to me -- makes it feel like they'd want me to take a pay cut," Allen told the newspaper. "And if anybody asked me to take a pay cut, I'd be through the first door out of there. So, no. We haven't talked one iota. It is what it is."
Said Allen: "We're going to go about our business and play good ball and try to win a Super Bowl. And ... the business stuff? We take care of that in the offseason. I have people to do that. That's why I don't get into it. You're not going to hear it from me. I won't complain. I go about my business."
The reality in Minnesota? Allen might not be there after this season. He's been one of the NFL's dominant defensive stars and worth every penny of the six-year, $73.3 million contract he signed back in 2008. But pass rushers on the wrong side of 30 -- as we've learned this offseason -- struggle to get paid what they believe they're worth.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
