Russell Wilson‘s latest reported demand seems to fall in line with some of the other rumored sticking points in his exhaustive negotiations with the Seahawks, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that the idea of Wilson guiding another team’s offense next season isn’t as ludicrous as it may seem.
Going along with a reported pursuit of a near-fully guaranteed contract or one that eclipses all quarterbacks’ deals, the fourth-year signal-caller wants to be paid like a top free agent right now, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com told Florio during an appearance on PFT Live. This comes after we heard the sides will shelve talks until after the season if a deal is not completed by the time Seattle begins training camp July 30.
With the figurative deadline looming, Wilson’s camp appears to be putting pressure on the Seahawks to reach numbers that aren’t the easiest to conjure up, with the 26-year-old Wilson’s value to his immensely successful team somewhat debatable.
Healthy franchise-caliber quarterbacks no longer reach free agency, but it’s not like Seattle doesn’t have quarterback extension parameters from which to draw figures. There isn’t an immense value gap like the one that vexed the Cowboys and Broncos this offseason in their attempts to find figures between those of Calvin Johnson‘s and Mike Wallace‘s contracts for their top-flight receivers.
With quarterbacks either just above or below Wilson’s talent and production levels being extended frequently, like Ben Roethlisberger or Cam Newton, this process should be able to generate more approximate figures. The length of Wilson’s crusade certainly makes this interesting and looks to hover over a loaded Seahawks team’s pursuit of a second Super Bowl title in three years.
If these truly are Wilson’s demands, Florio does not envision an extension will be reached by the end of the month and foresees a future where Wilson could be attached to the exclusive franchise tag next year and traded for something more or different than the two first-round picks that accompany that distinction.