Vikings hammer Seattle

[RamWraith]

Wow...read this. Talk about a total hose job, and totally funny!!

Vikings | Contract update: Hutchinson provision
Mon, 13 Mar 2006 17:33:21 -0800

Adam Schefter, of the NFL Network, reports Seattle Seahawks transition free agent OG Steve Hutchinson has a provision in his contract which states he must be the highest paid offensive lineman on his team for the 2006 season or his entire $50 million contract becomes guaranteed, according to someone who has seen the offer sheet the Minnesota Vikings offered him. The provision was added in an effort to make it increasingly difficult for the Seahawks to match the offer.


Seahawks | Contract update: Hutchinson provision
Mon, 13 Mar 2006 17:12:40 -0800

Adam Schefter, of the NFL Network, reports Seattle Seahawks transition free agent OG Steve Hutchinson has a provision in his contract which states he must be the highest paid offensive lineman on his team for the 2006 season or his entire $50 million contract becomes guaranteed, according to someone who has seen the offer sheet the Minnesota Vikings offered him. Seahawks OT Walter Jones averages $7.5 million a season and Hutchinson's contract will average $7 million a season. If the Seahawks decide to match the offer, they would have to figure out a way to squeeze his over $13 million salary figure into their cap and would guarantee the rest of his $50 million contract, which would make it the richest cash contract in NFL history by $15 million.

[Goldenfleece]

Yikes. I love it!

[OrlandoPaceIsMyHero]

That's hilarious! Great move by the Vikes!!

Shaun Alexander = sucks next season without Hutch... you may not believe me but just watch - he will not do anything like what he has done this season unless they bring in a new great guard like Larry Allen (which I strongly doubt).

You heard it here first,
OPIMH

[sbramfan]

Very interesting. I bet the NFL will change the rules on the "matching the contract" offer eventually based on this.

They will have to try to make sure you can't just look at the team you are taking the guy from and set up the contract in a way that doesn't allow them to match.

Let's see, if you want to go after a Falcons' player you just put in your contract that the guy has to make at least 80% of what the QB makes. So they would have to pay him 80% of Vick's salary to keep him, or something like that.

Not sure that you can stretch it this far currently, and tie the compensation to another position, but still, it would seem the trend will start to go this way.

Very sneaky.

[Rip32]

They knew what they were doing when they signed the offer sheet,gave Seattle absolutly no way to match

Seattle will lose a huge asset in there run game if Hutch leaves,I love it

[jkramsfan]

its always great to read how these teams work these contracts to get them in there favor,so it leaves seattle no chance to match.

[OldRamsfan]

I LOVE IT ! ! LOL LOL LOL LOL This what haslebut is doing right now , without the protection... I think thats GREAT!! Wonderfull post my friend made my day , Dont mean to be so harsh but after what happened at the Pro Bowl with Holt SEE YA!
Attachment 762

[theodus69]

I don't want to see the Vikings get that good either!

[Milan]

That's hilarious! Great move by the Vikes!!

Shaun Alexander = sucks next season without Hutch... you may not believe me but just watch - he will not do anything like what he has done this season unless they bring in a new great guard like Larry Allen (which I strongly doubt).

You heard it here first,
OPIMH

I'll take your word on this, you know a lot about O-Linemen.

[general counsel]

Seattle took this risk when they let him hit the market and didnt tag him. This type of risk was a big gamble by the hawks and one way or another, its going to cost them. I cant believe that they are going to lose a guy that good. It wont kill them, depending on what they do with the money they save, but its sure going to hurt.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[maltz88]

Losing Hutch won't hurt the hawks much at all. Hutch missed 14 games in his second season, and they had to move Gray over to RG, had Wedderburn at RG, and Wunch at RT, and they wound up with the #7 offense in the NFL.

They've now got Locklear at RT (head and shoulders above Wunch), and Womack to step in at Guard (also head and shoulders above Wedderburn), as well as Wayne Hunter, and Chris Spencer.

They've got plenty of depth along the O-line. If they decide not to match, they'll still be a top 5 offense in the NFL.

[AvengerRam]

Look, I'm not going to say that losing Hutchinson would destroy the Hawks, but I think you're vastly underestimating his value to the team.

[Goldenfleece]

Losing Hutch won't hurt the hawks much at all. Hutch missed 14 games in his second season, and they had to move Gray over to RG, had Wedderburn at RG, and Wunch at RT, and they wound up with the #7 offense in the NFL.

They've now got Locklear at RT (head and shoulders above Wunch), and Womack to step in at Guard (also head and shoulders above Wedderburn), as well as Wayne Hunter, and Chris Spencer.

They've got plenty of depth along the O-line. If they decide not to match, they'll still be a top 5 offense in the NFL.

Just for the sake of argument, I'd like to point out that Alexander still posted his lowest rushing total since his rookie year (in which he only started one game) in 2002. Also, whereas in every other year of his career he has averaged at least 4.3 yards/carry, that year he averaged 4.0 even. The 'Hawks ranked 17th in rushing attempts, 20th in rushing yards, 22nd in rushing average, and 10th in rushing TDs. One of the main reasons they had such a highly ranked offense was because Koren Robinson had 1240 yards receiving, but the team finished 7-9 on the season because the QBs threw so many interceptions and so few TDs (19th and 20th in the league respectively). I might add that K-Ro isn't there anymore. They got a ton of yards through the air, but the qbs still struggled under pressure. I would love to see the Hawks offense play like it did in 2002!

[HUbison]

The Hawks are the favorite in the NFC West, with or without Hutch, but....

Losing Hutch won't hurt the hawks much at all

....that is a hard one to swallow. When you lose the best player in the NFL at a certain position, any position, it's going to hurt.