Steve Hutchinson

Steven J. Hutchinson (born November 1, 1977) is a retired American football guard who played 12 seasons in the NFL. He played college ball at Michigan, where he became a unanimous All-American. The Seattle Seahawks picked him in the first round of the 2001 draft, and he later suited up for the Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans. A seven-time Pro Bowler, Hutchinson entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020. Later that year, the Seahawks brought him on as a consultant.

Hutchinson grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and attended Coral Springs High School, where he played for the Coral Springs Colts and graduated in 1996. In 2007, the Florida High School Athletic Association named him to its All-Century Team, which highlighted the top 33 football players in the state’s 100-year high school history.

At the University of Michigan, Hutchinson played for coach Lloyd Carr from 1996 to 2000. After redshirting in 1996, he switched from defensive tackle to offensive guard and earned a starting spot on the 1997 team that won the Associated Press national championship. He started for four years, never allowing a sack in his final two seasons. He served as a two-year team captain, earned All-Big Ten honors four times, was named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, and was a two-time All-American—including unanimous first-team honors as a senior in 2000. He also won the Jim Parker Award from the Touchdown Club of Columbus and was a finalist for the Outland Trophy.

The Seahawks drafted Hutchinson in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft, and he spent his first five seasons in Seattle. In March 2006, the team designated him as a transition player. During his time with the Seahawks, he made three Pro Bowls and earned three All-Pro selections. He was a key blocker for Shaun Alexander during Alexander’s 2005 MVP season, helping the team reach Super Bowl XL, where they lost 21–10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. That game was his last as a Seahawk.

After free agency opened, Hutchinson signed a controversial offer sheet with the Vikings worth $49 million over seven years—reportedly the richest contract ever for a guard at that time. The deal included a poison pill clause that would guarantee his entire salary if he wasn’t the highest-paid lineman on his team. NFL rules required the Seahawks to match the offer exactly or lose him. Since Seattle had recently given tackle Walter Jones a richer contract, matching would have triggered the poison pill and destroyed their salary cap, so they couldn’t match.

Because they used the transition tag rather than the franchise tag, they received no compensation from Minnesota. Seattle retaliated by signing Vikings wide receiver Nate Burleson with a similar ploy, leading the NFL to ban poison pills. Hutchinson started 59 straight games for the Vikings. He was placed on injured reserve on December 21, 2010, and again at the end of the 2011 season.

Over his first 11 NFL seasons, he started every game he played—157 total. The Vikings released him on March 10, 2012. Four days later, he met with the Seahawks to discuss a possible return.

On March 15, 2012, Hutchinson signed a three-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. He announced his retirement on March 11, 2013, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 1, 2020.

His NFL honors include five first-team All-Pro selections (2003, 2005, 2007–2009), two second-team All-Pro nods (2004, 2006), seven Pro Bowl appearances (2003–2009), a spot on the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, the PFWA All-Rookie Team (2001), and recognition as one of the 50 Greatest Vikings. He also made the Seahawks’ 35th Anniversary team and their Top 50 players list. In college, he was part of a national championship team (1997), won the Jim Parker Trophy (2000), was a unanimous All-American (2000) and first-team All-American (1999), earned Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year (2000), and was a four-time first-team All-Big Ten selection (1997–2000). He also won the Rose Bowl (1997), Orange Bowl (1999), and Florida Citrus Bowl (1998, 2000).

Hutchinson married his high school sweetheart, Landyn. They have a daughter, Lily, and a son, Luke. He keeps a vacation home in Key Largo, Florida, and is an avid hunter and fisherman. The family now lives in Nashville, Tennessee. They became close with Vikings legend John Randle’s family in Seattle and remain good friends.