Off the field Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson seems like a humble and generally good guy. On the field has proven he has what it takes to win, going 36-12 in the regular season in his first three seasons in the NFL. He has a 6-2 record in the playoffs as a starting quarterback and he has helped guide the Seahawks to two Super Bowls, winning one and losing to the New England Patriots in an incredibly close contest last season. During his rookie contract, Wilson has been an absolute bargain, but as he gets set to enter the final season of his rookie deal he reportedly wants a long-term deal. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report Wilson wants to be the highest paid player in the NFL. That means Wilson wants a deal that is worth more money per year than Green Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ current contract. Rodgers signed a five-year, $100 million extension (an average of $22 million per year) more than two years ago. But here’s the question. Would it really be that crazy if Wilson did become the highest paid player in the NFL?
Not really.
At first, I thought it was insane that Russell was looking to be the highest paid player in the league, even with all that he has accomplished in his career thus far. But then I thought about it more and it didn’t seem all that nuts.
For starters, the position of quarterback is the most important in football right now. Yes, defense is still plenty important and keeping defenses honest by having a solid ground game is great, but the NFL is a passing league. Wilson has had the luxury of playing with a productive back in Marshawn Lynch and a really good defense (the Legion of Boom got it done), but Wilson has proven he has what it takes to win, that last throw in Super Bowl XLIX not withstanding. Wilson is a very smart quarterback and his intelligence shows on the field. He doesn’t turn the ball over very often and he takes care of himself by limiting the number of hits he takes. Wilson always seems to know where the first down sticks are and understands the importance of living to fight another down, even if that means getting out bounds earlier than he’d like to. Yes, knowing you can trust a great defense helps, but not every quarterback who has that luxury takes advantage of it (i.e. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton). The Seahawks know they can trust and win with Wilson under center.
If Seattle and Wilson can’t come to terms on a long-term deal, the Seahawks will have two other options available to them. They can hit Wilson with the non-exclusive franchise tag (approximately $20 million) for 2016, but that would give various teams that need a quarterback an opportunity to offer Wilson a long-term deal in exchange for two first-round draft picks. If this is the road in which they head down, Wilson probably won’t stay in Seattle and there is no guaranteeing those draft picks would turn into another franchise quarterback or that Seattle could find a viable replacement for Wilson in free agency and teams (including Seattle) need to have a really good quarterback in order to contend each season. The other option would be applying the exclusive franchise tag to Wilson (approximately $25 million for 2016). But if they keep going down that road that would cost the Seahawks more per season than a lucrative long-term deal would. Using the exclusive franchise tag would cost the aforementioned $25 million in 2016 and $30 million in 2017. That means Seattle would be spending $55 million for two seasons with Russell under center, without actually having a franchise quarterback locked up.
Additionally, even if the Seahawks make Wilson the highest paid player right now, it won’t last long because quarterbacks like Andrew Luck and Rodgers, among others, will sign bigger contracts in the near future. There is an expected increase in the salary cap coming and that means teams will pay quarterbacks even more than they are making now. If Wilson becomes the highest paid player (or at least close to it) that will give Seattle more salary cap wiggle room once the salary cap increases. Both sides should want to get a deal done now.
Yes, the Seahawks need to make sure a long-term deal is structured in a way that allows them to sign and keep other key players. And there are some players in Seattle’s locker room who are resentful of Wilson, but if the Seahawks can lock in Wilson to a long-term deal that doesn’t kill future moves, (even if it makes him the highest paid player in the NFL), they should do it. The other guys in the locker room are grown men and they need to get over any jealousy they may feel towards their quarterback. Plus, winning seems to cure all and Wilson has proven to be a winner. The Seahawks and Wilson would both benefit from a long-term deal getting done, even if it does make Wilson the highest paid player in the NFL for a short time.
