Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is entering the final year of his rookie contract. As a former third-round pick, Wilson has made peanuts over the course of his career, topping out at just $1.544 million in base salary this season. Rarely has a team ever had a Super Bowl-winning quarterback on such a cap friendly contract. But that is all going to change soon as Wilson and his representatives are playing hardball with the Seahawks as the two sides negotiate an extension.
Rumors suggest Wilson may be looking for the richest contract in the NFL. Even if that isn't entirely accurate, it's clear that Wilson wants a significant pay raise. So what will his eventual extension look like?
Grantland's Bill Barnwell expects a deal that is slightly more lucrative than the five-year, $103.8 million contract the Carolina Panthers just gave Cam Newton.
"Wilson is more likely to receive a five-year deal, and it seems logical to use the five-year contract extension recently inked by Newton as a baseline," Barnwell wrote. "Like Wilson, Newton has been forced to produce without much in the way of offensive help. A reasonable chunk of Newton's value, like Wilson's, also comes as a runner. Wilson has been more productive across the board than Newton, and while Cam deserves a lot of credit for winning with a flawed team, Wilson has won far more than Newton as a pro.
"Newton's contract pays him $68 million over its first three seasons, the 2016-18 campaigns. There are various permutations of how Seattle might structure a Wilson extension, but my guess is that he will end up re-signing with a deal that exceeds $70 million in new money - without making it to $75 million - over those first three years. Would Seattle really move on to an uncertain future under center over what amounts to a few million dollars over four or five years?"
Since entering the league in 2012, Wilson ranks seventh in Total QBR (64.6) and just set career highs in passing yards (3,475) rushing yards (849) and rushing touchdowns (6) this past season. While Wilson has been lucky to play with a dominant defense that has bailed him out in the post-season on occasion, teams simply do not let potential franchise quarterbacks get away. Expect Wilson to be back in a Seahawks uniform next season.
