Russell Wilson expected to become highest paid QB

[BLUE 1,026]

Per Rotoworld.com:

 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport believes Russell Wilson will become the NFL's highest-paid quarterback when the Seahawks sign him to a long-term extension this offseason.

2015 would be the final year of Wilson's rookie contract, but Seattle was always expected to lock up Wilson to an extension this offseason. The Seahawks have benefited from having one of the best quarterbacks in the league under contract for basically peanuts for the last three seasons. Wilson's salary meant Seattle could build an elite team around him without slipping into salary cap purgatory. That luxury will be gone after this season. Jan 10 - 1:55 PM

Source: NFL.com

Edited January 11, 2015 by BLUE

[BwareDWare94 723]

[SteVo+ 3,702]

As Rotoworld put it:

 

 

Wilson's salary meant Seattle could build an elite team around him without slipping into salary cap purgatory. That luxury will be gone after this season.

 

 

Time to put John Schneider to the test. Should be interesting to see Seattle operating in future years.

Edited January 11, 2015 by SteVo

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

To be fair, the cap should be skyrocketing in the next year or two. So it won;t be as hard as originally thought... But there's no doubt Russ is about to get overpaid x10.

[RazorStar 4,025]

Pay the man!

[Shotgun 442]

This trend of teams overpaying for QB's that aren't even top-5 is going to cause issues eventually. Yes they're important but if you can't pay the players that are the reason for you winning (the defense) because you have to pay an above average QB over $20mil a year with 60-70+ guaranteed, there's a real problem.

 

Good teams are going to end up being handicapped by QB salaries like bad teams used to be with their high draft picks.

[BwareDWare94 723]

I find it hilarious that players are getting paid based on how good the organization thinks they are versus how much their statistics warrant. It's hilarious.

[Bay 2,003]

If Wilson cares about winning as much as he says and acts like he does, no reason to not want to take less money to keep the outstanding defense in tact. I don't know about Seattle's cap situation but they can't keep and pay everyone.

[Attyla the Hawk 197]

I find it hilarious that players are getting paid based on how good the organization thinks they are versus how much their statistics warrant. It's hilarious.

 

Not nearly as hilarious as fans thinking how statistics warrant QBs getting paid.

[oochymp 2,393]

as a fan of a team that's spent the last decade flailing around while looking for a decent QB, if Wilson hit the open market I would love it if the Titans made him the highest paid QB in the league

[Sacks98 28]

As Rotoworld put it:

 

 

 

 

Time to put John Schneider to the test. Should be interesting to see Seattle operating in future years.

 

Most of the team is from the draft the one area he needs to improve on though is offensive drafting.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Sacks98

[SteVo+ 3,702]

I find it hilarious that players are getting paid based on how good the organization thinks they are versus how much their statistics warrant. It's hilarious.

 

 

I don't know if it's so much that. The Seahawks realize what Wilson would command on the open market as does his agent (a la oochymp's comment), so they understand the reality that they need to pay this guy elite money.

 

 

I think Shotgun's comment is 100% spot on, and we've been seeing it lately in this league with the contracts of Colin Kaepernick, Jay Cutler, and Andy Dalton. Time will tell if there's any sort of resistance to this trend.

[BC 331]

It will be a lot and probably a quarter of the roster salary but with everyone besides Wagner already locked up and having the 5th most cap space in the league, what are we supposed to let Wilson just walk? The contract a quarterback than can perform as well towards the end of the bigger games is inflated and it is what it is. As long as we manage to not sacrifice the contracts of other valuable players it's the only move to be made. The order in which we locked everything long term was perfect. Okung, Unger, Bennett, Earl, Sherm, Kam, Avril, KJ Wright, and now our franchise QB and MLB. Pretty well put together.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

It will be more interesting to see how they structure the contract. Are they going to go the same route the 49ers did with Kap where they can tear it up after a year or are they really in this for the long haul?

[Attyla the Hawk 197]

It will be more interesting to see how they structure the contract. Are they going to go the same route the 49ers did with Kap where they can tear it up after a year or are they really in this for the long haul?

 

I'd bet my house it wouldn't be like that.

 

Seattle isn't that kind of sleazy organization. It's a backhanded, "We like you but we don't love you" contract that a bad organization would peddle for a maybe someday kind of QB. One whose play and stature as a man doesn't warrant that kind of commitment.

 

Wilson is a franchise QB. He's gone above and beyond all expectation and honors his responsibility as the face of the franchise. He's been so grossly underpaid and not raised a peep about it. He is the gold standard for protecting the franchise in the NFL as we will know it post Brady/Manning.

 

And Seattle is a franchise that simply doesn't seek to low ball or otherwise 'win' contracts with their own. We haven't done that with any of our stars. Every player we have developed and targeted for retention, we've sought to extend early and get them rewarded as soon and well as feasible. Seattle has a sterling reputation amongst their players and coaches with respect to rewarding those that they can retain, and giving those they can't the best platform to advance their own earning power when their time comes due.

 

Wilson will be the highest QB in the league. The team will do so gladly. The deal will almost assuredly have significant length -- I'm guessing 7 years, with most cap value on the back end after guarantees run out. Wilson will get the biggest guarantee in NFL history. I'm pretty certain of that.

 

Seattle has been prepared for this contract since 2013 ended. In fact, it's pretty easy to see, that Seattle planned for this contract in the beginning of the 2013 league year. Their drafts and contracts signed, resigned and avoided -- along with planned cap cuts in 2014 to reduce dead money in 2015/16 all point to the team planning for this reality for years.

[Cherry 1,302]

Wilson will be the highest QB in the league.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Chernobyl426

[BucD+ 648]

He should be rewarded nicely, but not "the highest paid QB in the league" nicely.

 

Shotgun is 100% right.

 

A team that has to grossly overpay their meh QB (Dalton, Cutler etc.) because "if they don't another team will" is going to become a big issue down the line. I am not saying Wilson is a meh QB, but the highest paid QB in the league?

 

Finding a legitimate QB is very very hard (as a Bucs fan I know) which is why this is happening, but it's going to start to really cost teams eventually.

[McTater 28]

In Seattles defense who could they get thats any better than Wilson? They want him to be the face of franchise, and I doubt Lynch will be around much longer. I'd rather make Wilson the highest paid Qb than sign Jay Cutler to an extension. Wilson does his job and more, what more can a team want?

[BucD+ 648]

In Seattles defense who could they get thats any better than Wilson? They want him to be the face of franchise, and I doubt Lynch will be around much longer. I'd rather make Wilson the highest paid Qb than sign Jay Cutler to an extension. Wilson does his job and more, what more can a team want?

 

Of course.

 

No one is saying (at least I do not think) that Wilson doesn't deserve to get paid. He most definitely deserves to get his due. He may become the highest paid QB ($20+ million per year) in the league because that is what it has come to.

 

Since the new collective bargaining agreement, they basically implemented a rookie wage scale so that unproven rookies aren't ridiculously overpaid and teams can reward veteran players who have earned a pay raise. Thing is, because of the nature of a "franchise QB," teams are going to find themselves in another issue when they have to pay their QB stupid money to keep them. That is, regardless of how good of a "franchise QB" they are...

 

Contracts are naturally going to get bigger and bigger because each top player is going to get more money than the next guy. I dunno, maybe they implement a wage scale for vets?

[Dutch 874]

I find it hilarious that players are getting paid based on how good the organization thinks they are versus how much their statistics warrant. It's hilarious.

 

Apparently the statistics that the Seahawks are concerned about is the win column; especially the recent one in the superbowl. Do I believe that Wilson is a top 5 QB? No. However, he is getting paid based off of what he's worth to the Seahawks organization and ofcourse his market value worth has to play a part in it. He's going to get paid elite top 5 money somewhere else. So is it really logical not to pay your superbowl winning QB top flight money who is operating in their system perfectly doing everything that they need him to do to remain an elite team? He doesn't have to carry his team to the level that other elite QBs do but he's incredibly efficient and gets the job done.

 

With that being said, yes, that defense is the major element on that football team. But the QB is the most valuable position on a football team. To not pay Wilson and risk losing a guy that perfectly fits in your offense is insane. Who is going to replace Wilson at QB? The Seahawks resigned majority of their young defensive stars. They may have some losses but it can't compare to losing a franchise QB. So it makes perfect sense that Wilson is worth top QB money to the Seattle's organization to keep continuity and remain elite. It's more difficult to find a QB than to replace a few defensive players. They would have much bigger problems not paying Wilson money that he's going to get somewhere else.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Dutch

[Attyla the Hawk 197]

 

So is it really logical not to pay your superbowl winning QB top flight money who is operating in their system perfectly doing everything that they need him to do to remain an elite team? He doesn't have to carry his team to the level that other elite QBs do but he's incredibly efficient and gets the job done.

 

With that being said, yes, that defense is the major element on that football team. But the QB is the most valuable position on a football team. To not pay Wilson and risk losing a guy that perfectly fits in your offense is insane. Who is going to replace Wilson at QB? ..... So it makes perfect sense that Wilson is worth top QB money to the Seattle's organization to keep continuity and remain elite. It's more difficult to find a QB than to replace a few defensive players. They would have much bigger problems not paying Wilson money that he's going to get somewhere else.

 

This is pretty close to truth. Although it's a national misnomer that Wilson operates 'our' system.

 

The reality is, this system has been tailored to fit Wilson's gifts. Not the other way around. What you see is the direct byproduct of a coaching staff evaluating their players' strengths and molding a system to fit.

 

Carroll is a genius at this. He actively seeks players in the draft with 'uniqueness'. Because he can morph whatever we do to maximize the unique talents we have. Defensively, we did this with Thomas, Red Bryant, Bruce Irvin, Kam Chancellor. We take misfits and make the system come to them.

 

Russell is, and has always been, a unique talent in the NFL. The round peg in a league with square holes. Pete, and really Darrell Bevell, don't get the credit they deserve for understanding what they have, and meeting their offense to fit their QB. The only other coach I can recall with that kind of flexibility was Don Shula who abandoned his conservative offensive approach to meet the talents of one Dan Marino. The reality is, there is no other QB that can make this system function as it does now. We've tried mightily to find players who can even run most of the offense that we do with Russell. And it's been an unfruitful search thus far.

 

Wilson's greatest gift that is elite by NFL standards is his ability to make proper decisions in the crucible of the critical moments. Second to that, and truly without peer in this league is his versatility to make defenses pay for cheating personnel to focus on stopping one aspect of our offense. Russell can exploit whatever weakness a defense opts to expose. He is as close to game plan proof as it gets in the NFL. In that respect, I don't see Wilson's peer.

 

Russell is in year three. And his best football is clearly still ahead of him. I don't think any observer would try to make the case that Wilson will regress or plateau in the next year or two. His advancement and progression at his craft is a steady as the tides.

 

I would say this. If I'm only considering what he's done for me already -- he's worth elite money. If I'm considering where he's likely to be in the next 3-4 years -- he's worth top dollar.

 

At this point, I'm no longer willing to concede the excuse that he has an elite defense to help him when discussing his value or ability. I'm not going to give other organizations any benefit because they intentionally don't focus their cap or draft capitol on building a good defense. If you want to 'give your QB weapons', at the expense of picking good defensive players than that's on them. Wilson doesn't need to apologize for having a great defense. Because he doesn't get the same consideration for having 2 UDFA receivers catching his passes. Or defensive tackles taken in the 7th round and converted to OL for the first time in their lives. Or having a bare bones OL who make this team based on their run blocking ability and for whom pass protection is an afterthought.

 

Seattle made the conscious choice to spend their money and their draft on defense. They gave him a great running back and then littered the remaining offensive side of the ball with a bunch of day 3 picks and worse. We have more undrafted starters on offense than we have day 1 and 2 picks.

 

Wilson most definitely carries this offense. And he does so in a way to maximize his unique talent.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Wilson deserves to be paid like a top QB.

 

But not the best in the NFL. I know with inflation and how much these kinda contracts go, this only makes sense. But to make him the highest paid ever? No way. He's a good, maybe great QB, but we still don't know if he can carry that team.

[RazorStar 4,025]

If it makes you feel better, he'll only be the highest paid QB until Andrew Luck gets his contract. And we all know how much better Luck is than Wilson. >_> <_>

[oochymp 2,393]

If it makes you feel better, he'll only be the highest paid QB until Andrew Luck gets his contract. And we all know how much better Luck is than Wilson. >_> <_<

this is definitely a key point, right now just about every QB to sign a new deal has been and will be the highest paid QB, until the next top level QB signs a bigger extension

[Vin+ 3,121]

Wonder if he'd still be saying this if he didn't throw a pick on the goalline...

 

 

Speaking Tuesday, Seahawks GM John Schneider hinted Russell Wilson may be willing to give the team a discount in long-term talks.

"Russell Wilson wants to win championships," Schneider said. "(And that means) thinking outside of the box a lot of times. ... He knows, he gets it. He wants to win. He wants to win for a long time." It's optimistic talk, but NFL Network reported in January that Wilson's next deal will likely make him the highest-paid quarterback in the league. Wilson's agent will do his best to steer him away from any home-town discount.

Source: Seattle Times