"I don't know that this sets a precedent," Condon said. "Sometimes, a player transcends the position of a transition tag by being an exceptional player."
Before Monday, Condon said, transition players were considered "vulnerable."
Now the teams that give players that tag are the vulnerable party in a notoriously copycat league.
Condon's clause blind-sided the Seahawks, who intended to match any offer Hutchinson received when they designated their transition player last month. The provision said if Hutchinson was not the team's highest-paid offensive lineman, the entire $49 million becomes guaranteed. This was not going to be an issue for Minnesota - the Vikings' offer sheet instantly made Hutchinson their highest-paid blocker.
But the clause eventually priced Hutchinson out of Seattle.
That's because left tackle Walter Jones had signed a $54.5 million, seven-year deal the previous spring - richer than Hutchinson's offer sheet. Thus, the Seahawks would have had to guarantee all $49 million. That would have been $14.5 million more than the current record guarantee that two-time league MVP Peyton Manning has with Indianapolis.
1niksder wrote:So next year any team wanting a linemane from Minny can use the same clause to price the Vikes out of the market
Of course if you just want to stick it to the Vikes they could offer Nate Burleson to a contract that garuntees the whole thing if he plays 5 games in Minny. They have a week to match it but it's no way they can.
To match the deal, though, the Vikings will have to swallow hard. Beyond the size of the total payout and a total of $5.25 million in guarantees, are two devious provisions.
The first would guarantee the entire contract, all $49 million, if Burleson plays five or more games in the state of Minnesota in any season of the contract. The Vikings, of course, play home games in Minneapolis, at the Metrodome there. The second bizarre provision would guarantee the full contract if Burleson is paid more on average per year than all of the Minnesota running backs combined. At least for now, the averages of the Vikings' tailbacks fall well shy of the $7 million average of the Burleson offer sheet.
It should be recalled that, when the Vikings signed Hutchinson to his offer sheet, they wrote into the deal a provision that guaranteed the full contract if the star guard was not the highest paid lineman on the team. The Vikings knew that Seattle could not match the offer, since Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones has a contract that averages more than Hutchinson's deal.
good for Seattle. That was a bogus deal stealing Hutchinson like that. As a Redskin fan, I appreciate manipulating the system and finding loopholes, but the Vikings Stole Hutchinson from Seattle and it was completely shady IMO.
It's one thing to outbid the home team, but it's completly another for the home team to have to pay the complete contract and the team taking the player only having to guarantee the bonus.
