WALTER JONES RESTRUCTURES CONTRACT

**Benet** · 03-20-2006, 10:18 PM

I think the end of this article is a bit of a fluff-piece to be honest.

The bigger problem, if the Seahawks eventually match the deal, is the potentially hostile environment that will arise between Jones and Hutchinson, who line up next to each other on every offensive snap. Jones has sold out Hutchinson to help management, and that's a no-no in the locker room. It'll be very interesting to see, then, how the other players react to Jones, even if Hutchinson moves on.

After all, Jones played his status as the franchise player like Yo Yo Ma on a cello, reeling in multiple years of big money before signing a blockbuster long-term deal. The fact that Jones has tried to get in the way of Hutchinson's chance to work that same system should prompt plenty of resentment in the locker room.

And this is where I come to disagreements with PFT. Florio's OP-ED pieces can sometimes be complete trash. My thinking on this would be: if the Seahawks get their way and the Poison Pill does not have to be triggered when they match the Vikings offer, Hutchinson WILL STILL GET HIS $49 MILLION regardless of whether Paul Allen or Zygi Wilf is signing the cheques. (Yeah yeah, we spell it with a 'Q'). And it should be pretty clear by now that the Poison Pill will NOT be activated whoever ends up getting Hutch, so he shouldn't even be thinking that now.

If/When Hutch starts making statements about what's been going on.. That'll be the point I start to believe what I've been hearing about him wanting to leave Seattle.

**Ddawg84** · 03-20-2006, 10:18 PM

They are prolly gunna get Hutch back for sure now... is there anything the vikes or the arbitrators can do to stop this???

Man... this is breakin my heart!!!

**olson_10** · 03-20-2006, 10:22 PM

"Del Rio" wrote:

"But NFLPA general counsel Richard Berthelsen contends that the relevant clause in the offer sheet triggers the guarantee if Hutchinson is not the highest paid offensive lineman at any time during the 2006 league year. Under this argument, the restructuring is irrelevant because Jones already has had during the 2006 league year a wage in excess of $7 million."

That is pretty interesting.

thats exactly what i was thinking..jones was making more as of yesterday, and yesterday is part of the 2006 league year

**olson_10** · 03-20-2006, 10:24 PM

complete BS that they can have this arbitration case for absolutely no reason to waste the courts time, while they know jones wil redo his deal..that is unsportsmanlike, and we should file a grievance against them..they did it to us for absolutely no reason, so why cant we file one when we actually do have a reason

**ejmat** · 03-20-2006, 10:29 PM

Again, I thought they had "7 days" to match the offer. They did not do anything within the 7 day period. I think the NFL would be stupid to allow this to happen. Especially after the CBA and everything else. Of course, I'm being a bit biased. The bottom line is Jones already made an excess of 7M this year. How is it they can rework the deal? The poisen pill states he has th be the highest paid lineman on their team for the year 2006. They can match all they want but they better start cutting some of the people they already signed.

**RK.** · 03-20-2006, 10:29 PM

Well we should know in about a half hour. :smile:

**olson_10** · 03-20-2006, 10:30 PM

"Del Rio" wrote:

"But NFLPA general counsel Richard Berthelsen contends that the relevant clause in the offer sheet triggers the guarantee if Hutchinson is not the highest paid offensive lineman at any time during the 2006 league year. Under this argument, the restructuring is irrelevant because Jones already has had during the 2006 league year a wage in excess of $7 million."

That is pretty interesting.

think about it del rio, he is a transition player, who has signed an offer sheet elsewhere..he is still a part of the seahawks until they make their decision to keep him, or dump him..sooo that means he was making less money than walter jones as of yesterday, but he had signed the offer sheet last sunday..doesnt this mean he has already been under contract for less than jones for the past week if they retain him? just like the part you quoted, jones has already made in excess of 7 million at a point in the 2006 league year, so this once again shouldnt even be debated on their part

**olson_10** · 03-20-2006, 10:34 PM

"ejmat" wrote:

Again, I thought they had "7 days" to match the offer. They did not do anything within the 7 day period. I think the NFL would be stupid to allow this to happen. Especially after the CBA and everything else. Of course, I'm being a bit biased. The bottom line is Jones already made an excess of 7M this year. How is it they can rework the deal? The poisen pill states he has th be the highest paid lineman on their team for the year 2006. They can match all they want but they better start cutting some of the people they already signed.

all we have to do it turn around and file a grievance against them..they didnt even dispute the issue at hand at the hearing it appears, meaning they wasted everybody's time, and did it only to extend the deadline..this is cheating the league and the system IMO..you cant go to a hearing and suddenly change your mind, it shouldve been case closed right when they agreed to leave the poison pill in the contract..walter jones name shouldnt have been brought up at the hearing at all, because the purpose of the hearing was to determine if the poison pill was a principal term, and the seahawks decided to agree with us on that..should be case closed from there, and hutch should already be a vikings..if not then the vikings have every right to challenge the ruling

**Ddawg84** · 03-20-2006, 10:36 PM

I am scared.....

**happy camper** · 03-20-2006, 10:39 PM

yep. this is bull.

im fully confident that we will get Hutch if it is true that the Seahawks didn't even try to argue it to the master. The deadline cannot be extended, especially if you don't even take up the case.