Clashing sources: Paul Allen and Alec Lewis debate Vikings’ interest in Aaron Rodgers

An intriguing conversation unfolded between Paul Allen and Alec Lewis on Wednesday. Debate comes after news broke that the Vikings are allegedly out on Aaron Rodgers.

Sep 19, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) is introduced before a game against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

If you've ever wanted to be a fly on the wall when NFL insiders are obtaining information that they ultimately share with the public, you'll want to get a load of the back-and-forth conversation that happened Wednesday morning between Minnesota Vikings insider Alec Lewis and Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen.

Allen, the two-decade-plus radio voice of the Vikings, and Lewis, the Vikings beat reporter for The Athletic, had a friendly-yet-intense conversation about the Aaron Rodgers drama. On one hand, Allen has repeatedly said Rodgers will not be on the Vikings in 2025 and the franchise is handing the QB job to J.J. McCarthy. On the other hand, Lewis has been reporting — alongside colleagues Dianna Russini and Michael Silver — the Vikings were seriously considering Rodgers.

It all came to a head Wednesday morning when NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that Minnesota is no longer considering Rodgers. Russini then somewhat agreed, saying the Vikings aren't ready to commit, though she claims the Vikings aren't "in" or "out" on Rodgers, just undecided.

That leads us to the dynamic conversation between Allen and Lewis, who delivered a territorial, inside view of their respective information channels. You can listen back to the segment here, but transcribed chat went as follows.

Allen: And how is Dianna? I haven't talked to her in a while.

Lewis: Dianna and I spoke this morning and we have multiple times.

Allen: Tough beat there.

Lewis: What did you say?

Allen: It was a tough beat for her there, but anyway. I'm kidding. I'm kidding!

Lewis: Oof, you're ... yeah. I just want to make it very clear that what we reported was that the Vikings were strongly considering the Aaron Rodgers situation.

Allen: I'd eliminate the word "strongly" but that's just me.

Lewis: There were many — and I tweeted that in all caps — people inside that building who were in support of the possibility of that.

Allen: I'm not counting the people in the [Vikings Entertainment Network] or the account executives on the third floor.

Lewis: That's a funny comeback. That's a good comeback. I have nothing to say about that, but yeah, I don't source people in the [Vikings Entertainment Network] department, is what I would say.

Allen: Neither do I.

Lewis: There is the truth that the team wants you to hear and wants you to know, and then there's the actual truth. There are people within the team that do a lot to ensure that a certain perception exists. That is the job of a lot of people within the team. And it is my job to tell the truth, even if that raises some very hard questions. Some very notable questions. Some very curious questions. But that's the job. You know sometimes, when you report the truth what goes against what people would want you to report, you can find yourself in intense situations with relationships that matter. But the job is to tell the truth above to value those relationships. That's where I am, that's where I will always be. If that prevents me from getting to the pinnacle of this business as an insider or what have you, then I'm OK with that because you and I have talked on-air, off-air, I do this job for the people, for the stories. But my role right now, I also do the job to tell the truth. That's just what I have to say about that.

Allen: I wasn't really going to go down this road with you, but now I am. By you saying with what you've reported, tweeted, whatever you're telling the truth, which would fly in the face of what I believe to be true. So therefore, what I've tweeted or said into the radio, I believe to be true. And I believe the sourcing that I've done is unimpeachable. Therefore, when I start last Thursday saying, you know there's a Rolling Stones song that you can't always get what you want, that's the theme song for Aaron Rodgers. Because he was told no. So therefore, when Rodgers, or when people are reporting certain things — and I don't have this as fact, so I'm riding discernment with this part — I'm believing the majority of the information is coming from his side. And then when I know it's an absolute no, which I guess would be this morning, but really a few days up to it, the way I handle it is, why, if Rodgers knows he's not going to come here — and I believe he's known that for several days.

Lewis: And I don't.

Allen: OK. It doesn't behoove the beaten side to go to the plugged-in sources and say, "Eh, that's it. We got beat. That's it. Whole thing's done."

Lewis: I think the other thing that I would say, again, and I'm not going to question you're ... that's not what I'm going to do.

Allen: I'm not offended at all by any opposite you have, by the way. Because I know my source is unimpeachable.

Lewis: Right. *sighs*

Allen: No, it is. It's the end of the story. That's why I just don't do it the way Schefters and Pelisseros. I don't ever do this, neither do you. I don't like it, quite honestly.

The conversation continued....

Lewis: What I would tell you, is the assumption, from a lot of people, is the source is from Aaron Rodgers' agent.

Allen: Some of it is.

Lewis: *laughs uncomfortably.*

Allen: I'm not saying with you, but there was a lot sourcing out there, [Young Alec]. From a lot of different people.

Lewis: Right, there is sourcing from a lot of people. What I would say is, I would ask to be, you better be very sure if you are specifying that a source is a certain place. You better be dang sure to do that because you're questioning the credibility of people who care a lot of doing the job the right way.

Allen: Agreed.

Lewis: Again, certain sources, specifically with the team, with as much as they have on the line, would like people to believe a certain thing because it benefits them.

Allen: That's not me.

Lewis: I'm not saying it is.

Allen: That's why I'm saying, when I say, semantics with these tweets and stuff like that, is a key word here. Because strongly to one person is not strongly to another. I've said on the radio, maybe with you, I would be a fool to believe, with all the decision-makers, coaches and players, personnel people within that building, I'd be an idiot to say there's not one, whose opinion matters, that's like, "We gotta look at this, we gotta talk about this." Yeah. If that happened with multiple people, that does not surprise me. But that doesn't necessarily make it "strong consideration." It makes it consideration. And yes, I agree, a zero out of 75-85 people? No, that ain't happening. It just takes one to check the consideration box. When it comes to "strongly considering," that's semantics.

Lewis: I do also want to say this. From the outside, if you're a fan listening to this ... and it's like, "Explain to me the preposterous nature of the fact that you would move on from a guy who won 14 games and threw 4,300 yards and then have the next starter be a 41-year-old" ... I totally understand why you would view that as preposterous. I would also say, there is always a lot at play that does not surface because it is of the priority for people who have an incentive for it to surface or it not to surface.

Allen: I'm sorry, but again, I don't believe priority ... for some, it is the right word. But I'm going to speak for myself here now that this thing is done. I don't delve in this game, so when I get frustrated enough and I feel like I need the right answer, I'm going to get the right answer and start putting it out a certain way. Mostly on the radio, because it's broadcasting as opposed to narrow-casting, which is social media. And that's what 9-to-noon did. But I'm not going to be like, "per source." We're not like that, man. In closing, priority ... it's respect, man. I don't play this game. You play it more than me. If I'm getting help to get me to the finish line and I'm asked to not share certain things, it's not because I think I'm not going to be voice of the Vikings in 2025, it's because I have respect for somebody helping me. So it's not a priority to eliminate, "I've known this" and "I've thought this" and "I'm worried about this." If you're asked to not share, respectfully, you don't share. Those who do, shame on them.

After a brief sidetrack, they continued ...

Lewis: I will say again, that what I put on social media this morning is that there were many people internally, and I'm not talking about VEN, nothing against VEN, I love VEN.

Allen: I know what you mean. I may even know who you mean.

Lewis: I'm talking about staffers who are not ...

Allen: People who matter.

Lewis: Yes. People who were very intrigued by the possibility, and that to me, makes you ask questions. Why?

Allen: Yes.

Lewis: And I think those questions, to ask them, you get closer to the truth as opposed to what the team would prefer you to think.

Allen: Right. Very fairly stated.

Note: Joe Nelson, the writer of this story, previously worked as Allen's producer at KFAN-FM 100.3 from 2009 to 2014. This story was written with 100% objectivity.

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