Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is a pretty quiet guy. He's not prone to wild or inflammatory statements and he's just as, if not more, likely to show up at a children's hospital and volunteer his time to young fans as he is to show up to a club and buy a round of drinks for all the thirsty patrons.
It wasn't surprising then, when Wilson appeared on the Adam Gold and Joe Ovies show on 99.9 The Fan recently to discuss his upcoming Passing Academy in Raleigh, that he had little to say about his current contract impasse with the Seahawks beyond espousing his good fortune at simply being a part of the process in the first place.
"At the end of the day I trust the process. I know God's going to put me wherever he wants to have me. I hope that Seattle ... I love it there, it's a great place to play. I've also gone through the ups and downs and been moved around before," Wilson said, via CBSSports.com. "Just like I love N.C. State and love playing there ... having to go somewhere else and start new. Ultimately I know mentally and physically and spiritually I'm prepared for whatever. Every day I'm going to go to work. I'm not the type of player to hold out because I want to be the best player I can be."
"In terms of the contract talks, I guess it's a blessing. I'm thankful to be in this position. I'm one of 32 men in the world that get to do what I get to do. I'm really thankful."
It's not the first time Wilson has spoken of "moving on" so it's not necessarily a groundbreaking quote, but it does seem to point to the frustration and low-level animosity that has likely developed between the two sides.
Wilson has, in three NFL regular seasons, posted quality stats - he's averaged a 63.4 completion percentage and 7.95 yards per pass, along with tossing 72 touchdowns and just 26 interceptions, as well as adding another 11 touchdowns with his feet - but he's not put up the kind of numbers that would, on paper, make him "elite."
Then again, when winning is the ultimate goal for every NFL franchise, the importance of a guy who has led his team to three playoff appearances, two consecutive Super Bowls and one Lombardi Trophy cannot possibly be overstated.
This is what lies at the heart of the current contract stalemate between Wilson and Seahawks GM John Schneider.
Wilson has helped his team reach elite levels without himself being an elite player, statistically speaking, and his current contract reflects that - Wilson is slated to make $1.54 million in base salary in 2015. The Seattle brass clearly believe they can find another player to perform in a similar manner to Wilson and Wilson and his representatives clearly believe that's simply not the case.
While it's likely the truth lies somewhere in the middle and the two sides probably need each other more than they'd be willing to admit, it seems Wilson is almost assured to play 2015 on the final year of his deal, operate under the franchise tag in 2016, and all the while a potential breakup will continue to lurk in the backdrop unless and until the viewpoint of someone involved changes drastically.
