The Vikings signed guard Steve Hutchinson away from Seattle today making him the highest paid guard in history. I think this is a great signing by the Vikes. Good aggressive sign.
I thought that Seattle has the chance to match or receives compensation of some kind. I agree that this is an agressive moves by the Vikes but believe in Jimmy Johnson's philosophy that you don't high profile OL. My exception that you would have an all pro OT on the QB's blindside.
Really you did the Seahawks work for them, while tying up a large portion of your money for a week....signing a transition tag guys is usally not smart....you wont have to give up compesation either way, but you arent getting Steve Hutchinson either unless Seattle just doesnt think its worth it....
Well, it looks like Minny front-loaded the contract so the cap number this year is around $13 mil. That's going to be tough for Seattle to meet.
can u say the all u can eat buffet!!!!!! LMAO haha had to throw alittle joke in there that is a very big fat contract.... wow i wish even had a percentage of what he got haha.... like i said BUFFET Time haha.. i think the deal is worth 7 years 49 mill with a 5 mill or some type of signing bonus....
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (vikingfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>Well, it looks like Minny front-loaded the contract so the cap number this year is around $13 mil. That's going to be tough for Seattle to meet.</div> Actually, they dont have to match it exactly. There are ways they can work around that by turning base salary into bonuses and prorating. They dont have to use same terminology, unless they get that one judge who ignores rules of CBA and just awarded player to skins. I think this will definately work to screw vikes when seattle matches in 23rd hour
If Seattle matches in the 23rd hour, then it will definitely hurt the team. I think if that happens then they will be looking more at what the draft holds for linemen. I personally am a little uncomfortable with them spending this much on one player, but if we are going to get him away from Seattle, then they have to make it hurt a little. Seattle is far enough under the cap to match, but they are looking to add depth at the receiver and CB positions, which are expensive. I'm not sure if they are going to be able to swing a deal that will give them enough room to address those positions.
Well, if Seattle does a good job on retaining their own Free Agents it shouldn't be that big of a deal.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (vikingfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>If Seattle matches in the 23rd hour, then it will definitely hurt the team. I think if that happens then they will be looking more at what the draft holds for linemen. I personally am a little uncomfortable with them spending this much on one player, but if we are going to get him away from Seattle, then they have to make it hurt a little. Seattle is far enough under the cap to match, but they are looking to add depth at the receiver and CB positions, which are expensive. I'm not sure if they are going to be able to swing a deal that will give them enough room to address those positions.</div> I would say seattles sucess this year was a bit of a fluke, and would not expect them to come close to it again next year. maybe 10-6 and first rd exit.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hawk)</div><div class='quotemain'>Well, if Seattle does a good job on retaining their own Free Agents it shouldn't be that big of a deal.</div> Hawk, good to see you. You were gone for a while. Do you think Seattle will match, or do you think they'll let him go?
Interesting tidbit. The Vikings put into Hutchinson's contract that he has to be the highest paid lineman on the team for the 2006 season or his entire $50 mil salary is guaranteed. As the PioneerPress puts it: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Hutchinson would easily be the Vikings' best-paid lineman. But he would not be on the Seahawks because of left tackle Walter Jones, who signed a seven-year contract last year that included $20 million in guaranteed bonuses. Jones' contract averages $7.5 million a year compared with Hutchinson's $7 million average, NFL.com said.</div> I think I'll sleep a little easier tonight knowing that the Seahawks would be put in a really bad place if they matched the offer.
It would appear that Hutch is now a purple people eater. I wonder if Spencer who the Seahawks drafted last yr out of Ole Miss as a Center could fill in @ OG? Hawk; Your thoughts?
Props to the Vikings. Look like their trying to go in the right direction. Can't say I'm a big fan of the Chester Taylor fan but Hutchinston is a nice signing.
Well that would just suck. They are also meeting with Nate Burleson right now. If they took him away from us, I'd be pretty pissed.
Update from ProFootballTalk.com - Seattle will match, legal battle to ensue 'HAWKS WILL MATCH MOST OF OFFER SHEET A league source tells us that the Seattle Seahawks plan to match the seven-year, $49 million offer sheet signed by guard Steve Hutchinson. On Sunday, the Vikings and Hutchinson reached agreement on the deal, which includes a cap number of more than $13 million in 2006 and a poison pill provision that will make the full contract guaranteed if Hutchinson is not the highest paid member of the team's offensive line. The Seahawks, however, will not match this provision, which would result automatically in a full guarantee of the Hutchinson deal, due to the long-term contract signed a year ago by left tackle Walter Jones. Instead, the Seahawks will take the position that the guarantee is not a "Principal Term" of the offer, and that the term need not be matched in order to permit the Seahawks to retain their 2006 transition player. Under the relevant provisions of the CBA, a provision guaranteeing the contract appears to be a "Principal Term." The Seahawks, however, might be able to argue that, as a procedural matter, a guarantee provision only is a "Principal Term" if the guarantee is reflected by a modification or addition to the offer sheet made by the player. Indeed, Article XIX, Section 3(e)(ii) seems to indicate that a guarantee becomes a "Principal Term" only if the player asks for the guarantee, and if the new team agrees. The battle could, in the end, elevate form over substance, with the Seahawks arguing that the Vikings proposed the guarantee in order to defeat Seattle's ability to match the offer, and the Vikings arguing that it wasn't their idea and that Hutchinson and his agent asked for the guarantee. Regardless, there most likely will be a battle, similar to the legal brouhaha that unfolded three years ago between the Redskins and the Jets regarding the rights to Chad Morton. In that case, the Jets failed to match one of the provisions of the offer sheet. Arbitrator Richard Bloch found that the unmatched provision was a "Principal Term," which meant that the Jets had not matched the offer, which meant that the Redskins received the rights to Morton. This time around, the Seahawks are willing to take their chances as to the question of whether the guarantee is a "Principal Term." If they prevail, the Seahawks keep Hutchinson, without the guarantee. If the Seahawks lose, the Vikings will be awarded Hutchinson, with the potential guarantee in place (but with the guarantee meaningless since Hutchinson will be the highest paid offensive lineman on the team). Per Article XIX, Section 4 of the CBA, the arbitrator will be required to resolve the dispute within 10 days after the grievance is filed. The Seahawks will receive no compensation for Hutchinson, if they fail to match the offer sheet. Our initial impression? If the terms of the CBA are applied literally, and if there is sufficient evidence that Hutchinson asked for the guarantee, the Seahawks will lose. But if the arbitrator looks beneath the surface, he or she will realize that the guarantee has little or no chance of being activated if Hutchinson lands in Minnesota, especially if the reports that it applies only in 2006 are accurate. Under that scenario, the arbitrator could be inclined to find that the Seahawks had matched all of the "Principal Terms" that had any realistic bearing on his status with the Vikings.
Since the terms state that he has to be the highest paid lineman on the team "this year", it wouldnt be that hard to make that happen....in fact, with the 1st year cap charge of $13million, I bet he already would be....its not that hard to adjust money payment schedules on these contracts to come up with that kind of scenario....It was a cleaver ploy, but not one that I suspect has much chance of working....
