http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer...seattle-seahawks-this-could-drag-on-get-testy
The idea that
Russell Wilson might not get a new deal with the
Seahawks this offseason is nothing new. Heck,
I reported back in February that Wilson could very well play out 2015 on his pittance of a rookie contract and this situation might not be resolved until sometime in 2016.
Wilson won't be taking anything perceived to be below value, or a band-aid contract. The sides were coming to the table with some differing philosophies and this was not, and is not, going to be an easy negotiation. At the end of the day this player is supremely confident and willing to gamble on himself and play it out. The Seahawks don't seem likely to budge all that much, either, judging by
some recent comments by general manager John Schneider that I can assure you haven't gone unnoticed by Wilson's camp. If anything, all that the past two months since the combine have done is amplify what I was hearing in the weeks following Seattle's heartbreaking
Super Bowl loss -- this thing might be ongoing for quite some time.
Let me preface this by saying that these negotiations are in their infancy. There are still four-plus months before a regular-season game is played and plenty of time to talk contract. But reading the tea leaves just a little, and talking to enough informed people, gives one the sense that there are some fundamental tenets on both sides that don't equate now, and frankly that kind of gulf might only be bridged, if it's going to be bridged, by Wilson (due to make just $1.5 million this season) going out and having another stellar season and continuing to build his case as a truly elite franchise quarterback.
One can argue that Wilson's body of work -- two
Super Bowl appearances in his first three years, impeccable decision making with the football, a rare ability to elevate his play in the biggest of stages, very strong statistical metrics -- merits franchise QB money right now. Knowing how confident and driven Wilson is tells me he's not changing. And if the Seahawks aren't ready to make that kind of commitment yet -- and they have given no indication through word or deed that they are (which is entirely their right) -- then this thing is lingering for a while. I can understand Seattle not wanting to set a precedent with a fully guaranteed contract -- this CBA gives all teams a hammer in that regard -- and if that becomes a major factor in these talks, all the more reason they don't reach a quick solution. I'm sure they can find a way to chip away at some common ground. I just remain less than convinced that happens before the season begins.
Seattle GM John Schneider will have a hard time getting Russell Wilson below market value. (Getty Images)
Here's what Schneider said this week on a local Seattle radio station regarding the Wilson talks:
"We want to be a consistent championship-caliber football team, one that the community and the Northwest is extremely proud of every year and has high expectations and hopes for," Schneider said. "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.
"I think you've seen over the last several years now a philosophy of competition at every position and trying to acquire as many players as you possibly can and to make it fit. We've done this since Day 1."
That's not exactly sending the message that this franchise is ready to make Wilson a $20M-a-year man. It's understandable enough, given that Seattle derives so much of its success from its remarkable defense and its overpowering run game and a roster loaded with some of the very best at their positions. And every organization must set its own price-point for what it believes its quarterback is worth. This just doesn't come close to sounding like a situation where the two evaluations -- from the team and from the player's representation -- are going to line up. At least not this offseason, without one of the sides relenting.
Here's a sampling of things Wilson has posted on social media lately. Maybe they speak to the tenor of the contract talks. Maybe they don't. But I couldn't help but notice them, especially coming at a time when Wilson has gathered about 30 teammates with him in Hawaii for a week of training and bonding before the Seahawks' official offseason program begins.
Here are some recent tweets from the quarterback:
RESPECT is when you hold something or someone in high regard......
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson)
April 14, 2015
Respect means everything.
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson)
April 11, 2015
Potential is only Potential... Success is based on what you do and what you have done.
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson)
April 8, 2015
Wilson also had a smattering of quotes from Tony Montana, lunatic drug kingpin from the epic film
Scarface, thrown in for good measure. While there may be no correlation between any of this and his contract status, I can't help but wonder if this situation gets a little testy. Wilson is all class and the Seahawks are a truly class organization. Both can handle this -- though these types of negotiations can get messy, at least privately (it was hardly all roses and champagne, for instance, between
Joe Flacco and the Ravens in the year when talks fell apart abruptly, and that quarterback played out his rookie deal without incident -- a season that ended with a Lombardi Trophy; Seattle could do the same).
I don't expect Wilson's contract status to be a cancer or an albatross in any way -- the team is built to keep winning now and will do so -- and Wilson's team-first mentality is evident always and especially now in Hawaii. But I also wouldn't misinterpret that mindset as anything hinting at weakness, or vulnerability or naivety, because proving people wrong is something the undersized passer has been making a habit of his entire life.
Wilson has leverage after leading the Seahawks to repeat NFC titles and one NFL crown. (Getty Images)
The idea that he owes the team some sort of "team-friendly contract," or that he should come at a bargain rate is ridiculous, especially as a quarterback. He has never made any real money from playing football, he has been one of the biggest bargains in the league since he became Seattle's starting quarterback -- he's on a rookie deal that averages $750,000 per year -- and, at 26, has his best seasons in front of him. This isn't a beat-up
Peyton Manning, at the end of his career and after myriad back/neck/nerve procedures doing a solid for the Broncos after making about $200 million in his career already. This isn't
Andy Dalton just trying to get paid while having yet to play big in a big game. This is a young man who has already made history and seems driven to continue doing so.
The idea that Wilson's teammates would expect him to relent is ludicrous. They've seen
Marshawn Lynch, repeatedly, do what he needs to do to get paid. Players understand it's a short career and that teams own them at a bargain rate on their rookie deals. Right now
Richard Sherman,
Kam Chancellor,
Doug Baldwin,
Jimmy Graham and
Bruce Irvin are among the guys at Wilson's camp in Hawaii -- he's clearly a team leader, he has plenty of support in that locker room and it's not like he's in a holdout or abandoning anyone; he's working out harder than ever knowing full well he could be playing for much less than the rest of his team's bevy of stars, and he is fully motivated and dedicated to football.
He doesn't have to sign any deal he's not entirely comfortable with, and if anything his willingness to go out and play for peanuts should be heralded. And if he does play out this season for $1.5 million, he'll do it with a smile on his face -- that's his nature -- and he won't yap about it and it won't be a distraction for him. If anything, it's just more motivation. If he manages to simply stay on the arc he has carved out through three seasons, he's going to get paid handsomely, and if he takes a significant step up in production and Seattle keeps winning then he will be able to make the case he should be paid as much as anyone in football.
There are no official numbers in yet for the 2016 exclusive-rights quarterback franchise tag, and that figure could continue to grow should anyone like
Cam Newton,
Eli Manning,
Andrew Luck or
Philip Rivers get a new deal between now and next season, but cap experts tell me it will be at least $21 million. Franchising Wilson twice would cost at least $46 million for just two years of service. If Luck ends up getting $25 million or more a year, and Newton ends up around $22 million, with Eli in that range as well, then the price just keeps going up for everyone. None of that would hurt Wilson's case.
And I can promise you this -- if Seattle doesn't apply the exclusive tag there will be teams willing to part with two first-round picks to try to pry him away with a massive offer sheet. Cleveland had one ready to go for Flacco had his negotiations with the Ravens reached that stage, and there would be suitors for Wilson, too. Plenty. There is no shortage of teams with a void at quarterback, cap room to burn and cash at hand.
There are many complexities to this negotiation, and ultimately, perhaps more empirical evidence will have to presented on the field to bring pen to paper. Maybe later this offseason, Seattle hones in on linebacker
Bobby Wagner and makes sure he is locked up long-term, as, alas, there is one franchise tag to use next year, and Wagner's deal is up after 2015 as well. And if Wilson's situation does drag into the fall and then the winter, we'll eventually find out precisely which side is actually making the more significant gamble by allowing it to do so. I'm not convinced it would be Wilson.
