How much to extend Russell Wilson?

[HaroldSeattle]

Had a debate on the general board about this and I'm starting to think I'm going to be wrong on this issue. What does everyone else think it will cost to sign Wilson? I said 15 million, others said 20 to 25 million. With the increase in cap this year and the increase that will come next year, I'm starting to think 20 million could happen.
What do you say?

 

[Tech_God]

I think he's got one more year to show everyone that he deserves to be paid that high. Personally, he's worth the $20 million per year. Take away Kreig and Hasselbeck, how well in the past have we done with all the other QB's that have started for Seattle?

 

[Logicallylethal]

My initial thoughts are 15 mil a year as well. I think that's what Russell is worth, but taking into consideration the cap increase...tony romo's contract (18 mil a year)...joe flacco's contract (20 mil a year...damn)...and Russell being a superbowl champion quarterback with back to back 100 qb rating years...I gotta say he's going to get at least 20 mil

 

[SeattleCoug]

I think it will be around $20 mil and maybe higher when its all said and done. Keep in mid the cap is going up 10 mil this year and probably even more next year. That should impact the players getting bigger contracts I would think.

 

[Uhsplit]

Ok, I will admit upfront that I have had a couple of cocktails.
I say RW is the real deal.
Seahawks do something spectaular.
10 years, $170 million, $90 million guarantee, $50 million signing bonus spread out over 10 years.
Biggest contract in history. Largest Guarantee and bonus.
A flipping bargain for Seattle averaging a cap friendly $17 million per year for 10 years.
Russell is the guy.
His endorsements will surpass his contract.

 

[Doublejive]

Throwing a number out there 18 to 22 million depending on incentives how long of a contract and upfront money,there is many ways they can go about it but i would stick with an eight year deal,anything more than that is not good for any team,,,i do not like long term contracts.

 

[gohusk]

I think he'd settle for 15 million a year. I would hope that a yearly salary that's a pretty big multiple of what I'm going to earn my entre life will do the trick.

 

[Doublejive]

I think he'd settle for 15 million a year. I would hope that a yearly salary that's a pretty big multiple of what I'm going to earn my entre life will do the trick.

I can see that with a long term deal and i do not see RW leaving anytime soon lol this city loves that guy and he oozes that winning shine,he is rare,he has what eight clutch games i believe lol he is a playmaker!.

 

[seahawksfan234]

It will cost a lot. Considering some of the deals other QBs have received, the sooner we extend Wilson the better as it appears the cost of a franchise QB seems to raise by the year.

 

[BoBlake]

I'm hoping that we can get it done with 18MM/yr.

 

[dkmightyhammer]

I don't know what it will take to extend him but one thing I find encouraging is that Wilson doesn't seem to be driven by money. He isn't all about the bling and flash like many players, and one QB in particular who needs to photograph himself with his cars, shoes, hats, and gansta rapper celebs all the bloody time. Wilson turned down a million dollars when he was still a teenager and would rather hang out at the children's hospital than hang out with celebrities. That tells you something about his character right there if you ask me. I don't get the impression it's an act either like some people claim. He seems to genuinely enjoy it.


I know the NFL is a business and all that, but if there is a guy who would take a discount to keep a winning team together my hunch is that its Wilson. I could see him being satisfied with making $15-$18M per year. Still way more than enough for his type of lifestyle.

 

[cdumler7]

Quick question to add to the equation as I do think it plays into this...Since Russell Wilson wants to be an owner someday does that factor into his contract? I say this in only a handful of players have been able to then become part time owners as it is expensive to be an owner these days since even the cheapest franchises are close to $1 billion. So in order for a player to be able to buy into that they not only have to bring in partners but also put up a very sizeable chunk of their own money plus have money left over to actually be able to pay players while they actually build up some disposable income. I know Wilson isn't a greedy guy but he is a very smart guy and is already looking towards the future for his career after the NFL.

 

[dkmightyhammer]

Quick question to add to the equation as I do think it plays into this...Since Russell Wilson wants to be an owner someday does that factor into his contract? I say this in only a handful of players have been able to then become part time owners as it is expensive to be an owner these days since even the cheapest franchises are close to $1 billion. So in order for a player to be able to buy into that they not only have to bring in partners but also put up a very sizeable chunk of their own money plus have money left over to actually be able to pay players while they actually build up some disposable income. I know Wilson isn't a greedy guy but he is a very smart guy and is already looking towards the future for his career after the NFL.

I think there is not much chance that Wilson ( or anyone else ) would be able to save enough money using their NFL salaries to ever own a team. What they'd need to do is take their sizeable income and invest very wisely for the next two decades. It's certainly possible to turn $1M into $10M in the stock market or through other investments (properties and what not). Look at guys like Mark Cuban or Mark Zuckerburg (sp?). They became billionaires in a relative short time by making smart decisions with money once they started making it. That is the only way I see a guy like Wilson earning the billions it would take to own a team. But who knows? Maybe he invests heavily in the next "facebook" or whatever and multiplies his money 100 times over.

 

[cdumler7]

I think there is not much chance that Wilson ( or anyone else ) would be able to save enough money using their NFL salaries to ever own a team. What they'd need to do is take their sizeable income and invest very wisely for the next two decades. It's certainly possible to turn $1M into $10M in the stock market or through other investments (properties and what not). Look at guys like Mark Cuban or Mark Zuckerburg (sp?). They became billionaires in a relative short time by making smart decisions with money once they started making it. That is the only way I see a guy like Wilson earning the billions it would take to own a team. But who knows? Maybe he invests heavily in the next "facebook" or whatever and multiplies his money 100 times over.

Well most players that become owners at best can invest around $50 million of their own money maybe up to a $100 million for some of the top guys. I agree it is more about the way they invest their money than how much they make in contracts but there still has to be that starter money that comes from contracts to do well. The more you have to invest the larger the return can be for the player. So instead of only putting say $12 million a year to invest and using say the $3 million to live on for the year he would be able to invest say $17-22 million a year and still live off the same money (other than I guess the extra taxes paid on the extra income but still more money invested). The return on investing 25% more money is obviously more than just the original. Wilson is a very intelligent man that is one of the few players you can tell has great plans for the money he makes during his career and doesn't plan on his NFL career being his only source of income the rest of his life. He has big plans that cost lots of money.

 

[gowazzu02]

Very,,,VERY interesting topic.

I watched NFLN the other day talking about Kap, they agreed that 15 a year for him was right since he's yet to prove he's a complete QB that can consistantly make the throws.

RW I believe has proven he can. But his numbers aren't eye popping due to the team he plays on.

I will always say players should get AS MUCH as they can, because the team can (Rice, Miller, Red, Clemens) Cut the player at any time.....

Had we not won the superbowl I would say 15-18 range. But with the ring, and a potential to have another great season next year. Icome to the realization that there is no way Joe Flacco should make more then him. So if Joe is 20 million on the dot, RW gets 20 million and one dollar.

 

[blstoker]

I love Wilson, and I hope that he's smart enough to realise that the highest paid QBs rarely win the super bowl. Here's a list of the NFL's top 10 paid QBs of 2013:

Eli Manning- $20.85 cap hit. Missed playoffs. Cap will reduce to 20.4 in 2014 and to 19.75 in 2015.
Matthew Stafford - $17.82 cap hit. Missed playoffs. Cap will rise to 22.5 by 2016.
Peyton Manning- $17.5 cap hit. Lost Super Bowl. Cap will rise to 21.5 by 2015.
Drew Brees- $17.4 cap hit. Lost divisional round in NFC playoffs. Cap will rise to 27.4 by 2016.
Tom Brady- $13.8 cap hit. Lost AFC Championship. Cap will rise to 15 by 2017.
Philip Rivers- $13.67 cap hit. Lost divisional round AFC playoffs. Cap will Rise to 17.4 by 2015.
Ben Roethlisberger- $13.6 cap hit. Missed playoffs. Cap will be 18.9 in 2014.
Mark Sanchez- $12.85 cap hit. Missed season, team missed playoffs. Cap will rise to 15.6 by 2015.
Sam Bradford- $12.6 cap hit. Missed playoffs. Cap will be 17.6 in 2014.
Aaron Rodgers - $12 cap hit. Lost wild card round in NFC playoffs. Cap will rise to 21.1 by 2019.
Tony Romo- $11.8 cap hit. Missed playoffs. Cap will rise to 25.27 by 2015.
Matt Scaub- $10.75 cap hit. Missed playoffs. Cap will rise to 19 by 2016.
Jay Cutler- $10.37 cap hit. Missed playoffs. Cap will be 22.5 in 2014.
Matt Ryan - $9.6 cap hit. Missed playoffs. Cap will rise to 23.75 by 2016.
Alex Smith- $8.5 cap hit. Lost Wild Card Round, AFC playoffs. Cap will reduce to 8 in 2014.
Joe Flacco- $6.8 cap hit. Missed playoffs. Cap will rise to 31.15 by 2017.

Of the 16 Qbs whose cap number was higher than 6, 10 missed the playoffs and 14 will see their cap numbers go up from where they were in 2013 (8 will have years of 20+ at some point in their current contract). I truly hope that Wilson goes the route of Tom Brady more than Joe Flacco, as Brady's cap number for his contract ranges between 13.8 and 15 the entire time. Flacco will either see himself cut or have to restructure his deal at some point before he sees all his 120 million. I'd rather compensate Wilson well, but I hope we don't have to pay him nearly a quarter of the salary cap to keep him. Being that the team is so run heavy, it may play in the Seahawks' favor when negotiating with him, but I don't expect them letting him leave either way.

 

[cdumler7]

You have to remember with Tom Brady he has two major other sources of income. Obviously he is one of the most sought after for endorsement deals in the NFL. He also has already had the big contract in his lifetime and is now looking more for the winning side of it. Then on the other side his wife actually makes more than him on a yearly basis. So money is probably the least of Brady's concern of any player in the NFL. Not sure you can count on others doing the same as him as I can't think of any other player that has that in the NFL.


Now I do believe Wilson can get the endorsement side of that equation and already is somewhat. Not to the level of Tom Brady but he is getting there. So that would definitely help some. The lack of a State Income Tax does help some as well. Although not as much you would think. Players are actually taxed every week depending on what state they played in since it would be considered income they made in that state from what I understand. So possibly 8 of the games a season are played in taxed states. So you can really only count 8 games as non-state taxed.


Also another part of this is the wording of the contract. Flacco's deal looks crazy on the outside of him making booko bucks but in the end it was essentially a 3-year contract that was full of big numbers but mostly above average pay. So that 31.15 cap number by 2017 he will never see that and neither will the team. So Wilson could essentially be making $25 million a year by the time he signs his contract but only have a Cap Number say around $15 million.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Another thing to remember is all these others QBs making big money, were making big money as rookies with the old CBA. So no pressure to sign the second contract. RW on the other hand isn't making big money and waiting out the contract is a risk. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Security up front counts for something.

 

[Smart]

I would not be stunned at all if Wilson took a deal in the $12 Million per year range to help the Seahawks keep as many players as possible. Even were he all about the money, he could make millions more per year in endorsements as a four-time Super Bowl champ than he would as a one-time champ.

And I don't think Russell is all about the money.

 

[gowazzu02]

I would not be stunned at all if Wilson took a deal in the $12 Million per year range to help the Seahawks keep as many players as possible. Even were he all about the money, he could make millions more per year in endorsements as a four-time Super Bowl champ than he would as a one-time champ.

And I don't think Russell is all about the money.

4 year superbowl champ....my lord I just fainted!!!!! Pay him 400 million if he gets me 4 rings!