The Minnesota Vikings made defensive end Jared Allen the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL last month, but also provided themselves plenty of financial protection in the deal. It’s the type of protection that could become increasingly popular around the NFL as teams deal with high-risk players in the post-Michael Vick era. One of the key elements to Allen’s six-year, $74 million contract is a provision, pre-approved by the player, that allows the Vikings to convert an $8 million roster bonus Allen is due to receive in 2010 into a signing bonus. In such a case, the team would recoup its money from the player and the signing bonus would count under the salary cap for the remaining years of his contract. Under rules of the collective bargaining agreement, signing bonuses can be recovered by a team when a player violates his contract; a roster bonus can’t. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...-allencontractterms050708&prov=yhoo&type=lgns