Seahawks wrap up their QB

$87.6 million contract among NFL’s biggest

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, right, smiles during a news conference after NFL football training camp on Friday, July 31, 2015, in Renton, Wash.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, right, smiles during a news conference after NFL football training camp on Friday, July 31, 2015, in Renton, Wash.

RENTON, Wash. -- Drawn out to nearly the last moment before a deadline that wasn't just for show, quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks discovered a compromise in contract talks.

photo

AP

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks quarterback, passes during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game against the New England Patriots in Glendale, Ariz. Wilson tweeted Friday morning he has agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Seahawks, keeping him with the franchise that took him in the third round of the 2012 draft and watched him become one of the most successful young quarterbacks in NFL history.

Those worries about Wilson hitting free agency or Seattle having to use a franchise tag are now tabled for another five seasons. Wilson is locked up in Seattle for the prime of his career after signing an $87.6 million, four-year extension Friday that includes a $31 million signing bonus.

Career stats

A look at Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson’s career statistics:

SEASON; GP; COMP-ATT-INT; YDS; TD; RUSHES-YARDS; TD

2012 16 252-393-10 3,118 26 94-489 4

2013 16 257-407-9 3,357 26 96-539 1

2014 16 285-452-7 3,475 20 118-849 6

TOTAL 48 794-1,252-26 9,950 72 308-1,877 11

It's one of the richest contracts in football history, slotting Wilson slightly behind Aaron Rodgers and just ahead of Ben Roethlisberger in the hierarchy of quarterback contracts on per-year average. It'll likely get passed when Andrew Luck signs his next deal, but for now it pays Wilson at an elite level for helping lead the franchise to consecutive Super Bowl appearances.

"I just want to be paid based on what I'm worth, what I've produced, whatever that means," Wilson said. "For me, I just let the play speak for itself. That's not my job to kind of do all that. That's why I hire [agent] Mark Rodgers, and that's why I trust him to figure everything out for me, work everything out.

"Sure enough it did, and I get to play here for another four more years. Couldn't be much better."

Wilson's extension keeps him with the franchise that took him in the third round of the 2012 draft and watched him become one of the game's most successful young quarterbacks. He's locked up in Seattle through the 2019 season -- the year he turns 31 -- giving him the opportunity at another big paycheck down the road.

Settling on a four-year deal was a big emphasis for Wilson's agent to give the quarterback a chance to capitalize on what will be an evolving quarterback market over the next five seasons.

"I think it's just a sense this is the right deal," Mike Rodgers said. "It's the right deal at the right time."

Wilson has led Seattle to the playoffs all three of his seasons, beating Denver in the Super Bowl in his second season before losing to New England in the title game last February.

He's also been a bargain for Seattle. The 2015 season was the first time Wilson was scheduled to make more than $1 million. Now that's just $700,000 in base salary for 2015 with a $31 million signing bonus -- $20 million now and the other $11 million next April -- more than making up for the shortfall.

Wilson's contract status was the biggest story in Seattle, and the more time passed without an agreement the more conjecture grew about his long-term status. There was growing concern that Wilson would play out the final season of his rookie contract and then test free agency. The Seahawks likely would have used the franchise tag to keep Wilson for the 2016 season but at a cost that would significantly hamper their salary cap situation.

Rodgers said a number of times during the offseason that the quarterback had planned financially to be playing for $1.54 million. Wilson took out an insurance policy to protect against injury just in case no extension was reached.

"He's really competitive," Seattle Coach Pete Carroll said. "No surprise, right? He's really competitive like the rest of us. So it was emotional to some extent, but I think in his heart he knew that we wanted this to happen, we were going to get it done, we were going to find a way, and he handled himself beautifully throughout the process."

Last season Wilson threw for 3,475 yards and 20 touchdowns with only 7 interceptions in the regular season. He added another 849 yards rushing and six scores and saved some of his most memorable moments for the playoffs.

He also had the Seahawks on the cusp of a second consecutive title, moving Seattle to the New England 1 in the final seconds of the Super Bowl, only to be intercepted by Malcolm Butler, clinching the Patriots' 28-24 victory.

Wilson holds the NFL record for most victories in his first three seasons and was the third-youngest quarterback in league history to win a Super Bowl title.

The Seahawks now have Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Jimmy Graham, Cliff Avril, K.J. Wright, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Doug Baldwin and Kam Chancellor all under contract through 2016.

Sports on 08/01/2015

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