It seems it really was only a matter of time before the Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson struck a deal that would keep the Super Bowl-winning signal-caller a member of the NFL's Pacific Northwest franchise for seasons to come.
The long awaited contract extension for Wilson is nearly here, as ESPN Seahawks reporter Terry Blount reported Friday that a new deal between the two sides was "very close" and that Wilson and the Seattle brass were just waiting to dot all of their "i's" and cross all of their "t's" before making an official announcement.
"From what I've been told they're very close, they're just trying to make sure every single thing is in place before they go forward with this," Blount said while appearing on 710 ESPN Seattle's Brock and Salk per MyNorthwest.com. "I think it's going to be bigger and crazier and different from what any contract has ever been."
There have been previous reports that Wilson's contract could be "fully guaranteed," meaning that there will be no phony years or unattainable escalators meant to beef up the outside appearance of the deal while keeping the real value down.
Seahawks GM John Schneider has already said previously that Wilson's deal will take "outside the box thinking" in order to fully compensate the star quarterback while ensuring it won't destroy Seattle's cap situation and hamstring them from keeping the team an annual contender.
Fully guaranteeing Wilson's contract could do that, by offering him security instead of higher potential annual value.
"You end up getting him at a lower rate because you are guaranteeing he is going to make, let's say $15 million a year for the next seven years instead of $20 million a year," Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio told Brock and Salk earlier this month.
The 26-year-old Wilson, a former third-round pick, has led the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, emerging victorious once. He is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
