Read on Twitter
A GM for the Minnesota Vikings made $14M+ by outsmarting his own team.
Time for a thread
Time for a thread
1) Mike Lynn’s rise to one of footballs most prestigious positions is a legendary story.
In 1974 - Lynn, then 38, wrote Vikings owner Max Winter a letter asking for a job with the team.
Winter, impressed by Lynn’s approach, hired him as a personal assistant.
In 1974 - Lynn, then 38, wrote Vikings owner Max Winter a letter asking for a job with the team.
Winter, impressed by Lynn’s approach, hired him as a personal assistant.
2) Less than a year later, Winter named Lynn Minnesota's next general manager following the departure of GM Jim Finks.
In the next four years, Lynn and the Vikings experienced tremendous success with four consecutive division titles and one Super Bowl appearance.
In the next four years, Lynn and the Vikings experienced tremendous success with four consecutive division titles and one Super Bowl appearance.
3) Even with instant success, Winter found himself unsettled by Lynn's devious demeanor.
Initial disagreements between Lynn and Winter surfaced when the Vikings started exploring new stadium options throughout the late 1970s.
Initial disagreements between Lynn and Winter surfaced when the Vikings started exploring new stadium options throughout the late 1970s.
4) Lynn, attempting to assert his power as the best GM in the game, wanted the Vikings to remain in a suburban outdoor stadium.
Winter and his investors opposed - securing public funding to move the team from their open-air stadium in Bloomington to a multipurpose dome downtown.
Winter and his investors opposed - securing public funding to move the team from their open-air stadium in Bloomington to a multipurpose dome downtown.
5) During construction of the Metrodome, with costs quickly approaching the $55M budget, the Vikings agreed to pay for the construction of 100 luxury suites.
The Vikings named Lynn president of Vikings Development, the subsidiary responsible for managing the stadium suites.
The Vikings named Lynn president of Vikings Development, the subsidiary responsible for managing the stadium suites.
6) Lynn was able to negotiate a clause that entitled him to 10 percent of the “adjusted gross income” for all luxury suite events listed below:
- Vikings games
- University of Minnesota games through 06'
- Twins games through 09'
- All other stadium events (concerts, etc.)
- Vikings games
- University of Minnesota games through 06'
- Twins games through 09'
- All other stadium events (concerts, etc.)
7) The Vikings offered Lynn a lump-sum payment in 1999 to take back suite revenue but the sides could not reach an agreement.
It’s estimated the contract paid Lynn between $14 million and $20 million since he signed it in 1979 and the last game at the Metrodome in 2013.
It’s estimated the contract paid Lynn between $14 million and $20 million since he signed it in 1979 and the last game at the Metrodome in 2013.
8) Mike Lynn is equally famous in Vikings history for his Herschel Walker trade in 1989, potentially the worst trade in NFL history.
Minnesota never won a championship and the draft picks Dallas received helped turn the team from 1-15 to 3-time SB champions in the 90's.
Minnesota never won a championship and the draft picks Dallas received helped turn the team from 1-15 to 3-time SB champions in the 90's.
9) Most NFL GMs finish out their career barely to be remembered again, but in Mike Lynn's case, he went down in history by brokering quite possibly the best and worst transactions in NFL history.
If you learned something today and want to receive more updates about the business and money behind sports, subscribe here. https://huddleup.substack.com
