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.