Poison Pill in contracts

[Hawk Believer]

So the Seahawks' creative little F.U. move with the Vikings could come back to haunt them this free agent season..... Text below is from www.Seahawkshuddle.com.

PATS TO PULL OUT A POISON PILL OF THEIR OWN?

We always read the e-mails that readers send to us. Not just because we are gluttons for abuse, but because sometimes our readers offer up some pretty good insights.

And then we can pass them off as our own.

Case in point. Now that the Seahawks have signed Vikings receiver Nate Burleson to a seven-year, $49 million contract that becomes fully guaranteed if he plays five or more games in Minnesota during any year of the deal, the Seahawks could end up losing kicker Josh Brown if a team signs him to an offer sheet that becomes fully guaranteed if Brown plays five or more games in the state of Washington. By adding several big-dollar phony years onto the end of the deal, there's no way the Seahawks would match.

So it's possible that the Seahawks have outsmarted themselves.

If a team with a pressing need at the position (such as the Patriots) is willing to give up a seventh-round draft pick, they can get Brown by turning the tables on the Seahawks.

Also available for such a maneuver is Seahawks quarterback Seneca Wallace, who would command a fourth-round pick as compensation.

[boLT fan]

Looks like Seattle and Minnesota started a landslide...

[Suitanim]

Originally Posted by Hawk Believer

So the Seahawks' crative little F.U. move with the Vikings could come back to haunt them this free agent season..... Text below is from www.Seahawkshuddle.com.

The squaks still managed to pull off a HUGE coup by signing Alexander and at THEIR price. If the hype is real, Hutch leaving shouldn't hurt THAT bad.

(Of course, I don't believe the hype, and am fairly convinced it will be another 20 years before the squaks even sniff a hint of the SB, but that's just me)

[Hawk Believer]

Originally Posted by Suitanim

The squaks still managed to pull off a HUGE coup by signing Alexander and at THEIR price. If the hype is real, Hutch leaving shouldn't hurt THAT bad.

(Of course, I don't believe the hype, and am fairly convinced it will be another 20 years before the squaks even sniff a hint of the SB, but that's just me)

Well, the pressure is on to break the SuperBowl loser jinx. I of course, being a homer, believe they should be strong for at least the next couple years if this team stays intact. It should be interesting to see how this team (and fans) react to the change of expecting excellence instead of just hoping for it.
Hopefully we can whittle away the regular season in obscurity out here in our little corner of the nation and earn another home field advantage in tha playoffs. I guess that is all you can hope for in March.

[DIESELMAN]

Mike Sando of the Tacoma News Tribune, reports NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said he plans to speak with NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw about putting a stop to the poison-pill offer sheets signed by Minnesota Vikings OG Steve Hutchinson and WR Nate Burleson.

[Livinginthe past]

Originally Posted by Hawk Believer

Well, the pressure is on to break the SuperBowl loser jinx. I of course, being a homer, believe they should be strong for at least the next couple years if this team stays intact. It should be interesting to see how this team (and fans) react to the change of expecting excellence instead of just hoping for it.
Hopefully we can whittle away the regular season in obscurity out here in our little corner of the nation and earn another home field advantage in tha playoffs. I guess that is all you can hope for in March.

I think Seattle has handled the FA period pretty well, holding onto at least some of its most prized possessions.

I think after the disappointment of losing the SB has worn off, the Seahawks will be even more confident this year of returning as the NFC representatives.

Of course, it also means they have a big bullseye on their backs from weeks 1-17.

NM

[Hawk Believer]

Seattle responded days later by signing Vikings receiver Nate Burleson to a long-term contract, invoking wild poison pill clauses that basically ensured that Minnesota couldn't match its offer.

"That was very distasteful to me, to retaliate so to speak like that (against the Vikings)," Holmgren said. "I do believe the commissioner should look into these kind of clauses. We work so hard on trying to gain labor peace and a new collective bargaining agreement and then we as clubs allow agents to get cute and circumvent it. On the playing field there are rules and there are unwritten rules about how the game should be played in the spirit and the fairness of it all. It doesn't make sense to me that we had to lose such a fine football player this way. I was surprised by the ruling."

Interesting to see Holmgren's take on Burleson's poison pill contract.

[GBMelBlount]

Business is business. If I were writing up agreements, I would use the poison pill as long as it was legal. Pgh is a standup team but again, if the poison pill is legal, use it. If it is over ruled, great, but use it as a tool if it is available.