Seahawks GM hints at letting Russell Wilson walk in free agency
Russell Wilson is entering the final year of his contract and Seattle Seahawks general manager hints a new deal isn’t as automatic as it would seem.
The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl two years ago and came within one yard last season in their attempt to repeat but as long as Russell Wilson is the team’s quarterback they should be Super Bowl contenders.
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But how long Wilson will be the team’s quarterback is up in the air with him entering the final year of his rookie contract and negotiations not advancing as quickly as many would expect for a player of his talent and importance to the team.
Wilson can command a contract that pays him as much as $25 million per year and make him the highest paid player in NFL history, but Seahawks general manager John Schneider tells KIRO radio in Seattle that the price may be too rich for the team and they could be forced to let him walk in free agency.
“Every negotiation is unique in and of itself and this is no different,” Schneider said. “Ultimate team sport, he’s our quarterback, we’d love him to be our quarterback. But the thing is, we need to keep as many of these guys together as we possibly can.”
That’s the standard line you hear from general managers when they are asked questions about the state of contract negotiations. He could have said the team is prepared to keep Wilson in Seattle for the rest of his career and not offer up any specifics as far as dollars but at the same time not hint that you may have to keep a nickel back and reserve offensive guard at the expense of Wilson.
Wilson is scheduled to make $1.542 million in the final year of the deal he signed when he was the No. 75 overall pick and didn’t get the millions that quarterbacks like Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Ryan Tannehill got when they were first round picks that year. Considering the money the Seahawks have saved in the first three years of Wilson’s tenure, they should be prepared to reward Wilson for working for peanuts (relatively speaking) his first three years.
However, Schneider sounds more concerned with keeping the roster together and tying up as many important players as possible toward a Super Bowl run and doesn’t want to single out Wilson in the ultimate team sport.
“We have to be able to protect ourselves as we go and make smart decisions in trying to keep this whole thing together as long as we possibly can,” Schneider said.
Schneider has already made efforts in locking up the core of the roster with extensions to Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas last year and reworking Marshawn Lynch’s contract, so he has shown he’ll reward players who earn it and Wilson has, but he’s not excited about paying Wilson record-breaking money.
No, the Seahawks aren’t going to let Wilson walk in free agency, but they will try to get him to take a hometown discount to keep money available to make improvements elsewhere on the roster to make sure Wilson has players to throw to and block for him.
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