The Seattle Seahawks selected him in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft, and he also played for the Minnesota Vikings and the Tennessee Titans.

During his redshirt year in 1996, he moved from defensive tackle to offensive guard, and earned a starting position on the 1997 Michigan team that won the Associated Press national championship.

[1] He also won the Jim Parker Award from the Touchdown Club of Columbus, and was an Outland Trophy finalist.

He was also a key lineman who blocked for Shaun Alexander in his 2005 MVP season on the way to the Seahawks appearance in Super Bowl XL, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 21–10.

The offer sheet, though, contained a poison pill provision that would have guaranteed his entire salary if he was not the highest-paid lineman on the team.

While the tag was not triggered during his time with the Vikings—he was released by the Vikings in March 2012—the Seahawks had recently given tackle Walter Jones a contract richer than the one offered to Hutchinson.

Moreover, since they only used their transition tag, rather than naming Hutchinson a franchise player, they received no compensation from Minnesota for their loss.

Seattle retaliated, though, by signing Minnesota wide receiver Nate Burleson to an offer sheet containing a similar ploy.