The Seattle Seahawks aren't taking a break after this year's Super Bowl. Contract talks with quarterback Russell Wilson are expected to begin after the game (probably not immediately after, but soon enough) and they are expected to make Wilson the highest-paid player in the NFL, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
Seahawks expected to make Russell Wilson NFL’s highest-paid player
Contract talks expected to start after the Super Bowl.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Seattle's front office has been preparing for Wilson's contract extension ahead of time. Trading Percy Harvin cleared out some cap space, and getting deals done ahead of time with defensive end Cliff Avril and linebacker K.J. Wright also helped give the team room under the cap and stability for the roster. Reports of a contract extension for Marshawn Lynch surfaced this morning. If Lynch and the Seahawks can agree to a deal, it would also free up money for a larger Wilson contract.
Currently, the most lucrative quarterback contract in the NFL is the seven-year, $126 million extension the Bears and Jay Cutler agreed on last spring. He's guaranteed $54 million. Current MVP and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed a five-year, $110 million deal that includes $55 million guaranteed and a $33 million signing bonus.
The league and the NFLPA have yet to agree on a salary cap number for 2015, and projections have it anywhere from a slight uptick to $141.8 million to something beyond last year’s $10 million year-over-year jump in the cap limit.
Wilson has the most regular season wins of any quarterback over his first three seasons in the NFL. During those three seasons, the 2012 third-round pick has been the Super Bowl twice, winning it all in 2014 and trying to again this year.
See More:
