9:07pm: The training camp contract deadline has been in place since talks began in early February, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets.
4:37pm: Russell Wilson will shut down contract negotiations with the Seahawks if he does not have a new deal by the time Seattle begins training camp on Friday, sources told ESPN’s John Clayton and Jim Trotter. Although a long-term deal for Wilson remains Seattle’s top priority, the star quarterback does not want contract talks to extend into training camp, according to sources who spoke with the ESPN duo.
Meanwhile, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com would be “very surprised” if we see things change between Seattle and Wilson. La Canfora doesn’t see either side flinching at this point and despite some reports to the contrary, he hears that true guaranteed money remains a sticking point. Ultimately, he sees this all resulting in a franchise tag for 2016.
How much guaranteed money is the quarterback looking for? Apparently, if he can’t be the highest paid player in the NFL, Wilson wants the mantle of earning the most guaranteed money in NFL history, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) hears. The two sides are “inching” closer to a new pact, but with Wilson looking to top Ndamukong Suh‘s guarantees, that could be too big of a gap to bridge. If things continue to stall, Cole expects the NFLPA to look into the “funding” rule, which effectively limits the amount of guaranteed cash a team can give a player.
While today’s updates don’t seem to point to a deal getting done, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap is fairly optimistic. If the two sides can agree to a $21MM average annual value, then he feels there is little reason for the Seahawks and Wilson to not get a deal done.
Wilson, 26, is currently is scheduled to make $1.54MM this season, which marks the fourth and final year of his rookie contract.