For such a slow time of the year, there have certainly been some very interesting developments around the NFL this past week. Four players were issued four-game suspensions, Russell Wilson’s contract situation gained even more spotlight, and in the highlight of the week, Marshawn Lynch dove into a pool of skittles.
NFL Off-Season: Fourth of July Fireworks
-Heading into the weekend the NFL lowered the boom on Jets’ defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, Packers’ defensive end Datone Jones, Cowboys’ linebacker, and Chargers’ tight end Antonio Gates, issuing each of these men a four-game suspension for the upcoming season. It’s bad news for all four of these teams as these are some impact players, but alas all of these athletes will miss the first quarter of the 2015 campaign.
It’s surprising to see Gates’ name on this list, as he’s never had any issue like this in his entire NFL career. The future Hall of Famer claims the positive test came from taking a substance during his off-season recovery that he wasn’t aware was banned by the NFL. A lot of people roll their eyes when a player makes an excuse like this, but Gates has earned the benefit of the doubt here. He’s been nothing but a professional through twelve NFL seasons, and there’s no reason to assume he’s lying.
-Russell Wilson’s contract situation with the Seattle Seahawks has become a truly overblown story. Ever since rumors emerged last week that Wilson might seek to become the highest-paid player in the NFL, things have kicked into overdrive and people have taken all sorts of different viewpoints on the matter. Keep in mind that this was just a report, and that there is no confirmation that this is true.
Shortly after the report emerged, a quote found it’s way into the media in which Wilson said he would “continue to play no matter how much (he’s) getting paid, no matter if it’s $25 million or $1.5 million.” Of course that sent everyone into a tizzy, as people assumed that $25 million must be the figure that Wilson is angling for, even though there’s no evidence to suggest that.
What it comes down to is this:
Wilson is a talented and successful player. Through his first three NFL seasons, he’s out-performed his contract by a wide margin and taken his team to two straight Super Bowls, winning one of them. He deserves to cash in on his next contract and will look to do so. Plenty of teams will be willing to pay him big money and by all indications, the Seattle Seahawks are one of those teams. Also, Wilson has said that he wants to remain a Seahawks for a long time to come.
There is absolutely no way to no for certain how much Wilson wants and how much his team is willing to pay, but those issues will sort themselves out with time. The former Wisconsin Badger still has the 2015 season on his contract, and the club has the franchise tag as a last resort to keep him in the fold in 2016 and 2017, if need be.
The Wilson-Seahawks contract impasse hasn’t been a great deal different than a lot of contract disputes over the years, but the media has spun it into something nasty. There’s no indication that things have gotten contentious and no real reason for ‘Hawks fans to start worrying. These processes tend to sort themselves out, and both parties have the luxury of time.
-If you’re a Seattle Seahawk fan who’s still not buying it, and you’re looking for something to make you smile, go back and re-watch Marshwan Lynch’s touchdown dive into an “end zone” of Skittles from CONAN last week. It’s amazing. Lynch might not like talking to the media, but when he does, his natural charisma comes across and it’s always entertaining.
