Veteran guard puts Vikings in quandary
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The Minnesota Vikings are going younger this offseason in their attempt to catch up with the rest of their division. Some of their most experienced starters have contracts and ages that make them candidates for a pay cut -- or for simply being cut altogether.
One of them is five-time first-team All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson, who is scheduled to make $6.95 million in 2012, the final installment of a seven-year deal worth as much as $49 million. He is well aware of the way his salary sticks out.
"I know what the cap situation is and all that, but it's out of my control," said Hutchinson, who recently turned 35.
He said he wouldn't be surprised if the team asks him to redo his deal to stay this season. He also acknowledged he has considered the possibility of being let go before the new league year begins and free agency opens next month.
"Any player has to worry about that in the NFL," Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson, a mainstay of the offensive line who started 131 consecutive games including the playoffs until a broken right thumb sidelined him at the end of 2010, has the most complicated and highest-profile case. His most recent of seven Pro Bowl selections came two years ago, and his durability and dominant blocking isn't what it was. But the Vikings surely would miss him if he goes.
Kansas City agreed to terms on a $19.6 million, three-year deal with cornerback Stanford Routt, who should help the team absorb the potential loss of Brandon Carr. The deal includes a $4 million signing bonus and $6 million the first season. Routt is still owed $5 million next month from the Raiders, who released him after the first year of a $54.4 million, five-year deal. The $11 million Routt will make in 2012 puts him among the three highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL.
Canadians who want to buy Green Bay stock will get their chance. The team said it cleared Canadian regulatory requirements and is selling shares north of the border. Each share costs $250. In the United State, there's also a $25 handling fee. In Canada, the charge is $35. The NFL's only publicly owned team originally offered 280,000 shares for sale. It says there were 17,000 shares left as of Feb. 14 and the sale will end no later than Feb. 29. The money is being used to fund an expansion of Lambeau Field. The shares pay no dividends and have virtually no re-sale value.
First Published February 21, 2012 12:00 am
