Seahawks Pillage Vikings for Local Star

Last week the Minnesota Vikings shanghaied Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson from the Seahawks by including a "poison pill" in his contract--a provision specifying that Hutchinson had to be the top-earning offensive lineman on the team; a provision the Seahawks couldn't match.

We wondered how ridiculous these clauses could get.

And the Seahawks have answered that question. In their offer to Vikings' receiver Nate Burleson, they included a clause that would make the contract guaranteed if Burleson played more than five games in Minnesota, or if he made less than the highest-paid running back on the team.

At Mike Sando's Seahawks Insider, he has the full dirt on the Burleson offer, and talks with GM Tim Ruskell about losing Hutchinson. He doesn't, inexplicably, permit you to link to a specific entry. WTF?

Keeping in mind that old adage, the Vikings aren't likely to challenge the contract, and the Hawks will fill a critical need--a true deep threat.

They also bring Burleson home--he's a O'Dea grad and member of a prolific local athletic family. Father Al was a defensive back for the Huskies and in the CFL. We attended Garfield with Al Jr., a terrific athlete who starred on the basketball team, and later played cornerback for the UW. Brother Kevin (O'Dea) is a guard for the Charlotte Bobcats, and brother Lyndale (Franklin) played in the NCAA tourney last week with Nevada.