EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen said he is excited to still be a member of the team after Tuesday's trade deadline.
Allen added that there are no hard feelings about the Vikings engaging in trade talks involving him.
The Vikings had conversations with a number of teams about the five-time Pro Bowler, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, but nothing materialized before the deadline Tuesday afternoon.
Allen is making $14.28 million this season and will be a free agent after the year, which complicated matters for teams trying to bring him aboard for the final half of the season.
Allen said he talked with Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, assistant GM Rob Brzezinski and coach Leslie Frazier after the deadline and told them he was still happy to be there.
"I have a great relationship with Rick and Rob and Coach Frazier and [assistant GM] George [Paton] and everybody here," Allen said Wednesday. "So, there's zero animosity, zero anything. But just like with all the trade rumors weeks and weeks ago, I don't even deal with it until it comes."
Frazier, who said he doesn't get involved in trade talks until they become serious, said there was nothing that crossed his desk Tuesday and added he expected Allen to remain a member of the team.
Now, the Vikings will turn their attention to trying to pull themselves out of a 1-6 hole to start the season.
Allen called the team's 44-31 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night "rock bottom" and said he's committed to preventing the Vikings from getting lackadaisical.
"I'm going to stay on my teammates, not let anyone get in a hole," Allen said. "They're going to stay on me. One thing we have is a tight locker room here. We're going to push people. We're going to push the coaches. They're going to push us.
"It's time to refocus, get motivated if you weren't already and not accept mediocrity. I'm going to be tougher on the players. I'm going to be tougher on myself. I've already told Coach, 'If you see somewhere I can improve, please let me know. And let's go to work.'"
During the Vikings' loss to the Packers, cameras caught Allen on the sideline saying, "This is the worst defense I've ever been a part of."
Asked about the comment on Wednesday, Allen said he wasn't trying to disparage his teammates.
"When I made that comment, 'This is the worst defense I've ever been on,' it had nothing to do with the players, nothing to do with calls, nothing to do with any of that," Allen said. "We're not performing. It has everything to do with performance, and that was the worst defensive performance I'd ever been a part of."