Russell Wilson is eyeing a contract with significant guarantees and views Jay Cutler‘s pact as a starting point, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The Seahawks quarterback wants to avoid taking on a higher-risk deal like the ones signed by Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton.

Wilson’s former agent, Bus Cook, is the agent for Cutler. Even though Wilson and Cook parted ways – he is now with his former baseball agent Mark Rodgers – Cook convinced the Seahawks quarterback to push for a deal similar to Cutler’s. The Bears quarterback is in the midst of a seven-year, $126.7MM deal with $54MM guaranteed. The deal comes with a healthy $18.1MM average salary and, of course, gives him a great deal of security in the event of a performance drop-off or injury. Ideally, Wilson would like to top that dollar amount while keeping a similar structure.

Cole adds that Rodgers is under extra pressure when it comes to this deal thanks to the NFLPA. The union was so upset by the year-to-year guarantees of Kaepernick’s deal that they considered de-certifying his agent. As Rodgers looks to break into the football world, this will be a pivotal deal for him, his reputation, and his standing with the NFLPA.

Reports that the Seahawks and Russell Wilson are extremely far apart on terms are inaccurate, according to “a league source who knows exactly what’s going on” with the quarterback’s contract talks, Greg Bell of The News Tribune writes. In fact, the source went so far as to say that the report from Friday afternoon is almost entirely fictitious. Of course, when it comes to sensitive matters and reports backed up by anonymous sources, it’s sometimes hard to parcel out the truth and the smoke screens.

The source explained to Bell that the talks, which began in earnest following the Super Bowl, are a work in progress. Because it’s a process that will take time, the source says that talk of an insurmountable gulf is not accurate. Head coach Pete Carroll called the talks “slow” earlier this month, and that seems to be supported by the claims of the source close to the negotiations.

Earlier today, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report said that Wilson would likely have to wait until after the 2015 season to land a new deal. According to Cole, Wilson is seeking a contract worth at least $20MM annually, while the Seahawks aren’t willing to go that high.

The Seahawks and Wilson still have more than two months before training camp begins and it’s hard to say where the two sides stand given today’s conflicting reports. Whether there’s a large gulf between the two sides or simply slow moving talks, it sounds like a lot has to come together for an agreement to be reached prior to the 2015 season.

The Seahawks and Russell Wilson appear unlikely to reach an agreement on a long-term extension during the offseason, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who says that the Seattle quarterback will likely have to wait until after the 2015 season to secure a new deal.

Cole’s report echoes what we heard from other writers last week, suggesting that the Seahawks and Wilson are far apart when it comes to the signal-caller’s per-year value over the long term. According to Cole, Wilson is seeking a contract worth at least $20MM annually, while the Seahawks aren’t willing to go that high.

As Danny O’Neil of 710 ESPN Seattle and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com previously noted, Wilson’s relatively minuscule 2015 salary is a significant factor in contract talks. The fact that they’re paying him such a small amount this year makes the Seahawks comfortable going year to year with the franchise tag for 2016 and 2017, if it comes to that. Even if those franchise salaries exceed $20MM, which they would, Seattle would still likely pay Wilson less than $50MM for the next three seasons, an average below $17MM.

According to Cole, talks between the two sides have left Wilson feeling somewhat frustrated and underappreciated, which could help explain why the 26-year-old has been publishing semi-cryptic tweets as of late. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk detailed yesterday, one recent Wilson tweet advised not letting a “lack of gratefulness and respect bring you down.”

The Seahawks and Wilson still have more than two months before training camp begins, so there’s plenty of time to bridge the gap in negotiations and strike a deal. However, at this point that looks unlikely, and it may just be a matter of time until the two sides decide to shelve those contract discussions until after the season and focus on making it back to the Super Bowl.

Russell Wilson and the Seahawks still don’t appear to be anywhere close to reaching an agreement on a long-term extension that will keep the quarterback in Seattle for the next several years, according to multiple reports. Both Danny O’Neil of 710 ESPN Seattle and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com indicate that there’s a significant gap between what sort of deal Wilson is seeking and what the Seahawks have offered.

According to O’Neil, while it may take a six-year offer in the $120MM range, with half of that money fully guaranteed, to get Wilson to sign, the Seahawks haven’t put anything like that on the table. In fact, O’Neil hears that the team’s offer is believed to be worth closer to $80MM for four years. While the per-year average sounds about right on that sort of deal, the guarantee presumably wouldn’t be nearly as significant as Wilson is seeking.

O’Neil also points out that since Wilson is still in his rookie contract, his 2015 salary of $1.542MM should be taken into account — if Seattle simply wants to tack a four-year extension onto that deal, it lowers Wilson’s overall average annual salary significantly, as he’d be making about $81.5MM over five years. That modest 2015 salary is one factor that makes these negotiations so unique, and tricky, according to La Canfora.

While La Canfora doesn’t offer specific figures like O’Neil does, the CBSSports.com scribe also hears that the two sides are far apart in contract talks. Per La Canfora, the Seahawks’ initial offer looked more like the pay-as-you-go deals that players like Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick signed, rather than a contract in line with the game’s top quarterbacks have received.

O’Neil is somewhat optimistic that the Seahawks and Wilson will bridge the gap and strike a deal before the 2015 season gets underway, while La Canfora is becoming increasingly convinced that the two sides won’t work anything out until 2016, unless owner Paul Allen steps in. La Canfora also notes that, if the two sides aren’t making much progress this summer, Wilson may decide to shut down talks until after the season to avoid off-field distractions come September.

Andrew Luck, the other top quarterback from 2012’s draft class, will also be in line for an extension at some point, but there’s less urgency for Luck and the Colts since the team has picked up his fifth-year option for 2016. A third-round pick, Wilson doesn’t have a fifth-year option on his deal, meaning he can be eligible for unrestricted free agency – or the franchise tag – after the 2015 season, so this situation is one worth monitoring closely over the next few weeks and months.