Russell Wilson - Pro Football Rumors

West Notes: Wilson, 49ers, Raiders, Thomas

July 1st, 2015 at 8:13pm CST by Ben Levine

As the NFL world awaits the outcome of the Seahawks/Russell Wilson extension negotiations, the quarterback sat down with ESPN.com’s Marty Smith to discuss the offseason.

Among the topics of discussion, of course, was Wilson’s contract situation. As he previously stated, the former Super Bowl champion isn’t concerned about money:

“Ultimately, it comes down to the play. Let my play speak for itself and let the rest take care of itself. Continue to love the game for what it is and continue to fight no matter how much I’m getting paid, whether it’s $25 million or $1.5 million. I’ll be ready to go.”

Wilson also seemed to squash any doubt about his relationship with the Seahawks, saying the two sides don’t have “a bad relationship by any means.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from the NFL’s western divisions…

ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner compares the 49ers signing of head coach Jim Tomsula to the Rams 2006 signing of Scott Linehan. The Rams had opted for a completely different personality following the firing of Mike Martz, and Wagoner believes the 49ers are doing the same thing following the firing of Jim Harbaugh. Linehan ended up coaching two-plus seasons in St.Louis, compiling an 11-25 record.
Hope for a Raiders stadium in Oakland is “dim,” according to ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson (via Twitter). Meanwhile, the writer says the proposal for a stadium in Carson “continues to have steam.”
In an interview on Broncos.com, 9 News’ Mike Klis says Broncos wideout Demaryius Thomas will play for the team in week one, but how he gets there remains a mystery. Klis believes that a contract will be finalized prior to the July 15th deadline, but he also notes that the franchise tag isn’t necessarily a bad deal for Thomas.

Russell Wilson Rumors: Tuesday

June 30th, 2015 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

In an interview with ESPN on Monday night, Russell Wilson handled questions about his contract situation with his usual tact, declining to reveal any details about the negotiations. The Seahawks quarterback said his relationship is “great and “not bad by any means,” adding that he’ll “trust the process” in getting a deal done (link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). Still, Wilson did make one comment that raised some eyebrows. Here’s more on that, along with the rest of today’s Wilson notes and rumors:

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, Wilson did mention a specific figure when asked about his value, albeit in a roundabout way. “No matter how much I’m getting paid, whether it’s $25MM or $1.5MM,” Wilson said. “I’ll be ready to go.” As Florio points out, the latter figure is the QB’s salary for 2015 — could the first figure be the salary he’s seeking on his new deal?
Of course, it’s entirely possible that Wilson just said the first large, round number that came into his head. But it’s worth noting that last year around this time, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com indicated that people around the league thought Wilson and Andrew Luck could eventually sign contracts worth $24-25MM annually.
For his part, agent Mark Rodgers joked about Wilson’s mention of $25MM by tweeting, “I wish he had said $40 million. Then this would really be interesting. #patience #relax #nodeadline.”
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap takes an interesting, in-depth look at what sort of guaranteed money Wilson might be looking at on his next contract.

NFC West Notes: Wilson, Foles, Bennett

June 29th, 2015 at 10:34am CST by Luke Adams

During a return to the Wisconsin campus over the weekend, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was asked about his contract situation, but was fairly noncommittal on the subject, simply reiterating his desire to remain in Seatle for years to come, as Dennis Punzel of Madison.com details.

“It’s not where my focus is,” Wilson said of his contract. “The contract will work itself out. I’m excited about it and excited to hopefully be a Seattle Seahawk for a really, really long time. So, that’s the goal.”

Here’s more from around the NFC West:

In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Field Yates of ESPN.com lays out the pros and cons for the Rams as they consider signing new quarterback Nick Foles to an extension. While Foles’ stock isn’t at its highest point, coming off an up-and-down, injury-shortened season, Yates suggests it still may be prudent for the team to wait on a new deal.
Former agent Joel Corry weighs in on the Michael Bennett situation, tweeting that a holdout would likely be “an expensive waste of time” for the Seahawks defensive end. As Corry observes, Seattle is unlikely to budge just one year into Bennett’s four-year contract. Our Dallas Robinson wrote last night about Bennett’s confusing stance.
Stepping in for Peter King at TheMMQB.com, Seahawks long snapper Nate Boyer tells the story of how he ended up in the NFL, trying to make the Seattle roster as a 34-year-old rookie.
While some teams may shy away from drafting small-school players due to their lesser college competition, Cardinals GM Steve Keim tells Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com that he likes adding those players, since they’re often motivated by feeling like they have something to prove.

Funding Rule Holding Up Russell Wilson Deal?

June 27th, 2015 at 2:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

We’ve heard plenty this week on the status of a long-term extension between the Seahawks and Russell Wilson, but today introduced another element into this process.

Multiple sources informed Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio of Wilson seeking a larger-than-usual portion of his next contract to be fully guaranteed, and the NFL’s funding rule could be impeding these proceedings. For teams to provide guarantees to players for skill, cap and injury purposes, all of that guarantee is not due upon signing, but must be placed into an escrow account immediately. The issue, according to Florio, is Seahawks owner Paul Allen being reluctant to agree to this stipulation.

Designed to protect players from owners who don’t have the cash to make the future payments, the funding rule wouldn’t seem to play a key component in Wilson’s pursuit of a lofty second deal. Allen is the league’s richest owner by a massive margin, checking in at No. 51 on Forbes’ world billionaires list with a net worth of $17.5 billion. He is the only NFL owner in the top 200; Dolphins boss Stephen Ross‘ $6.5 billion warchest sits at 216th, which is in the neighborhood of several of his contemporaries.

Florio adds that it’s unclear why Allen is reluctant in this case due to his fortune, but that one reason could be a collusion attempt on the owners’ part to avoid widespread fully guaranteed contracts across the league like the ones doled out in the NBA and Major League Baseball. It’s one of the NFL’s shortcomings fully guaranteed deals don’t exist like they do in the aforementioned, and far safer, disciplines, creating a sharper wedge between labor and management.

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes the stakes in Wilson’s deal are rising and now are beginning to represent more than what is best for merely the Seahawks or Wilson. It could be a seminal negotiation that shapes how the players formulate their plan for when the next CBA talks emerge at the dawn of the 2020s. Mark Rodgers, Wilson’s agent, has primarily baseball ties after once negotiated former Rockies pitcher Mike Hampton’s then-record deal worth eight years and $121MM in 2000, and Condotta views this background as to why Wilson’s camp is taking this stance on guaranteed money.

As of now, Wilson will play this season as the league’s 44th-highest-paid signal-caller at a $1.67MM cap number, behind the likes of Johnny Manziel, Drew Stanton and Shaun Hill. This will almost certainly be the last year Wilson’s in this minuscule NFL tax bracket, and the fourth-year quarterback’s chances of staying in Seattle remain high. But this saga continues to unearth nuances that suggest the Seahawks view Wilson’s accomplishments perhaps much differently than his camp does.

Russell Wilson Rumors: Friday

June 26th, 2015 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

On Thursday, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) reported that Russell Wilson is aiming to become the NFL’s highest-paid player, seeking a new contract that surpasses the five-year, $110MM extension signed by Aaron Rodgers in 2013. According to Cole, agent Mark Rodgers didn’t dispute that idea when asked about it; as I noted in Thursday’s Community Tailgate post, such a demand isn’t outlandish, given the rate at which the salary cap is rising.

Cole and a couple other NFL scribes have weighed in again on the Wilson situation today, so let’s round up the latest….

Wilson’s demands aren’t so much about his worth as they are about his leverage and how difficult it would be to replace him, tweets Cole. While the quarterback has some leverage, I’d argue that the team still has plenty as well, since Seattle could keep Wilson under team control through the 2017 season by using the franchise tag twice.
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, one of the first reporters to suggest that Wilson might play out the 2015 season without a new contract in place, says that possibility has become “more generally recognized as a likelihood, if not an inevitability.” Per La Canfora, Wilson will likely remain steadfast in his desire for a significant chunk of guaranteed money, while the Seahawks will continue to offer a deal with a more team-friendly structure.
There’s no hard deadline for Wilson’s extension talks, but if the two sides don’t reach an accord by the time training camp begins, there’s a good chance the Pro Bowl QB will decide to shelve the issue until after the season, writes La Canfora.
La Canfora speculates that if the Seahawks use a franchise tag on Wilson in 2016, it will be the exclusive tag, which wouldn’t allow him to negotiate with other teams. However, if Wilson and his agent get the opportunity to talk to other suitors, there could be about 10 teams with real interest, says La Canfora. The entire CBSSports.com piece is worth checking out, as La Canfora takes a comprehensive look at the situation.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also engages in some speculation after speaking to several sources, tweeting that he believes Wilson will be playing for a new team in 2016. In a follow-up tweet, Florio explains that he thinks the Seahawks will use the non-exclusive franchise tag on Wilson and another team will sign the QB to an offer sheet Seattle won’t match. If that were to happen, Wilson’s new club would have to give up two first-round picks to land him.

Community Tailgate: Russell Wilson’s Contract

June 25th, 2015 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re still a few months away from the start of battles on the NFL gridiron, but there’s no offseason when it comes to debate amongst fans. This week, we’ve launched a new series here at PFR that will be known as the Community Tailgate. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

Today, we’re taking a look at what has been one of the biggest ongoing stories of the offseason: Russell Wilson‘s future in Seattle. Wilson and the Seahawks have discussed a contract extension as the Pro Bowler enters the final year of his rookie deal, but no agreement is imminent, and there’s a growing sense that Wilson is willing to play out the 2015 season without a new contract in place.

Earlier today, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) indicated that agent Mark Rodgers is looking to make his client the NFL’s highest-paid player, attempting to surpass the five-year, $110MM deal signed by Aaron Rogers in 2013. According to Cole, Wilson’s agent believes that quarterback contracts will “explode” in the near future, with Andrew Luck, Eli Manning, and Rodgers (again) exceeding $22MM per year on their next contracts as well.

It would be a challenge to make a case that Wilson is a better NFL quarterback than Rodgers, but he doesn’t necessarily have to be better to land a contract that exceeds Rodgers’ deal with Green Bay. After all, the salary cap has risen by nearly $20MM since Rodgers signed his extension, and it’s poised to continue growing next year. When Rodgers landed a $22MM annual salary, that amount represented nearly 18% of the 2013 cap. That same percentage of 2015’s salary cap would work out to a per-year salary of about $25.63MM.

Of course, just because Wilson and his agent believe his value exceeds $22MM annually, that doesn’t mean the Seahawks agree, or that the team has to meet those salary demands. Seattle could hold off on an extension, with the option of using the franchise tag in each of the next two years to keep Wilson off the free agent market.

We want to hear your thoughts on these contract negotiations. Should the Seahawks make Wilson the NFL’s highest-paid player? Or should the team balk at his reported asking price, going year-to-year and perhaps eventually letting him walk instead? Jump into the comment section below to voice your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to hearing what you have to say.

NFC Notes: Wilson, Cowboys, Galette

June 22nd, 2015 at 9:21pm CST by Zachary Links

In an interview with North Carolina’s 99.9 The Fan (audio link), quarterback Russell Wilson may have given an indication that he’s comfortable with moving on to a new team if necessary.

“At the end of the day I trust the process,” Wilson said. “I know God’s going to take me and put me where he wants to have me. I hope that’s Seattle. I love it there, it’s a great place. But I’ve also gone through the ups and downs and been moved around before. I loved N.C. State and loved playing there and then having to go somewhere else [Wisconsin] and start new.”

Later on, Wilson said that he hopes that things will work out with the Seahawks. As the two sides continue to wrestle with what appears to be a sizable gap, however, that’s far from a certainty. Here’s more from the NFC..

The Cowboys‘ stable of running backs has the unenviable job of trying to replace the production of DeMarco Murray this season. Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News has run down all of the candidates to step up and replace last year’s rushing leader in a five part series, ending today with a glance at Joseph randle. Randle was arrested twice in a four-month period, dating back to last October. Despite his questionable judgement off the field, he’s arguably Dallas’ best option on the field now that Murray is suiting up for a divisional rival.
The Saints have a tough decision to make. On one hand, they’re probably eager to rid themselves of Junior Galette in the wake of the most recent allegations against him. On the other hand, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes, they’d face a big cap hit if they cut him. If the Saints drop Galette, they’d keep his cap number at $5.45MM for 2015 while dealing with $12.1MM in dead money against next year’s cap.
Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams believes that the Rams D has a chance to be special thanks in part to some new faces, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.

Klemko On Heyward, Brady, Mathis, Wilson

June 22nd, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

With Peter King taking his summer vacation, Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com stepped in this week to publish the latest Monday Morning Quarterback column, and his piece includes a number of interesting tidbits, including an explanation for why teams ought to attempt two-point conversions more often now that the extra-point kick has been moved back. Here are a handful of other notable items from Klemko’s piece:

Cameron Heyward is entering the final year of his contract, and is negotiating an extension with the Steelers, though he says he’d rather not think about his contract situation. The defensive lineman tells Klemko that he thinks he can play better than he did in 2014, when he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ sixth-best 3-4 defensive end. “I hope last year wasn’t a breakout season because I think I can achieve way more,” Heyward said. “I still have a mentality where I think of myself as a bust. I’ve got to prove everybody wrong including myself. I want to get better, and I want to shut people up.”
Tom Brady‘s camp will call many of the witnesses central to the AEI report – which criticized the Ted Wells report – to testify during the Patriots‘ signal-caller’s appeal, a source tells Klemko. As Klemko points out, Brady and the NFLPA could file a lawsuit in federal court after the appeal process is complete, challenging Roger Goodell for violating due process by declining to recuse himself as arbitrator. However, Klemko thinks that Brady’s four-game ban will be reduced to a one-game suspension, and the QB will forgo legal action to put the issue to rest.
Klemko hears that 10 teams are interested in Evan Mathis, which echoes what agent Drew Rosenhaus said last week. The MMQB.com scribe views the Dolphins as the favorite for the Pro Bowl guard, who may have drawn interest from even more teams if he had reached the open market sooner.
Based on the numbers Klemko is hearing out of the Russell Wilson extension talks, he believes the team and the player are divided on the QB’s value. Klemko predicts that the Seahawks will ultimately franchise Wilson after the 2015 season, then perhaps let him walk a year later.
Klemko disagrees with Titans GM Ruston Webster, who said last week that he wouldn’t be concerned if Marcus Mariota misses the first few days of training camp while the two sides finalize his rookie contract. As Klemko writes, that may be fine for a defensive tackle or safety, but a rookie quarterback – who is expected to start – needs all the training camp reps he can get. I’m inclined to agree that Webster’s comments are “a bad attempt to gain leverage” — there’s really no reason the Titans shouldn’t be able to agree to terms within the next few weeks.

Extra Points: Moffitt, Irvin, Wilson, Bills

June 19th, 2015 at 1:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent offensive guard John Moffitt could have suitors in the Eagles, Dolphins, Buccaneers, Jets and Texans, tweets Ross Jones of FoxSports.com. Moffitt announced earlier this week that he was coming out of a two-year retirement. The Broncos subsequently cut the 28-year-old and he cleared waivers on Thursday, per Jones (Twitter link ), making him available to sign anywhere.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the NFL….

Talking to the media on Thursday, Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin insisted that he wants to remain in Seattle and that his comments about wanting to go to Atlanta were “misinterpreted,” tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. According to Condotta (Twitter links), Irvin added that he’ll be extra motivated in 2015 after the team chose not to exercise his 2016 option, and that his contract situation will take care of itself.
Speaking of Seahawks players entering contract years, the team’s most notable extension candidate, Russell Wilson, was fairly noncommittal when addressing his situation on Thursday, indicating that he remains optimistic about getting something done. Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune has the details and the quotes.
The Bills formally announced a number of changes within their player personnel department, most notably promoting Rob Hanrahan to director of pro peronnel and Kevin Meganck to director of football operations.
Browns rookie Cameron Erving will likely begin his career at right guard and compete with John Greco for the starting job, offensive coordinator John DeFilippo told Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Erving, the 19th pick in this year’s draft, played offensive tackle and center during his career at Florida State. He’s expected to be a long-term option at center for Cleveland, which could lose starter Alex Mack to free agency next offseason.
Second-year Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson is looking to build on a rookie campaign that saw him total an impressive 48 receptions in 10 games. So far, so good, says Jags quarterback Blake Bortles. “He’s been unbelievable,” Bortles said of Robinson’s showing at minicamp, according to Mark Long of the Associated Press. “He’s definitely a threat now in the red zone. … He’s physical. He can run and do everything out in the open field, so he’s been fun to throw to.“

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

West Notes: Foles, Gates, Chargers, Chiefs

June 16th, 2015 at 9:26pm CST by Zachary Links

At this point, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links) is much more bullish on Bobby Wagner reaching a new deal with the Seahawks than Russell Wilson doing the same. The linebacker is seeking a deal in the range of $10MM per season and Seattle’s evaluation of him likely isn’t far off from that. Wagner, who will turn 25 near the end of this month,graded out as fifth out of 60 qualified inside linebackers according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Earlier this month, the two sides began talks on a new deal. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC West..

Rams coach Jeff Fisher acknowledged that the club has engaged in contract discussions with quarterback Nick Foles, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports (on Twitter). Earlier today, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reported that the quarterback loves being in St. Louis, but he’ll let agent David Dunn handle negotiations. The Rams are also talking to a few other potential 2016 free agents about new contracts, so it doesn’t sound like they’re focused exclusively on Foles.
Antonio Gates, the Chargers‘ all-time leader in catches, receiving yardage, and touchdowns, isn’t thinking about retirement after this season, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego writes. “As you get older, people say things,” Gates said. “They make speculations about where you’re going, about how much you have in the tank. To me, it’s all about how I feel as a person, how my body feels physically and mentally. As of right now, I feel great physically. I’m in a great place mentally. So, we’ll see how it goes. I have no expectations for how long I’ll play or if this is my last year. Right now, my main focus is just being around the guys … and working to bring a championship here to San Diego.”
Kealoha Pilares (WR, Hawaii), Kenneth Penny (CB, UNLV), and Derek Dennis (G, Temple) were at Kansas City’s minicamp today to try out for the Chiefs, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.