Russell Wilson is sticking around with the Seattle Seahawks as the highest paid player in the National Football League (NFL).
Wilson posted a video on social media early Tuesday, April 16, 2019, saying, “Seattle, we got a deal,” shortly after agreeing to a $140 million, four-year extension with the Seahawks, his agent Mark Rodgers said. Wilson’s new deal runs through the 2023 season and includes a $65 million signing bonus, a no-trade clause and $107 million in guaranteed money.
Wilson’s per year average of $35 million tops Aaron Rodgers’s average annual salary of $33.5 million as part of the $134 million extension he signed last year with the Green Bay Packers.
Wilson’s current $87.6 million, four-year deal was signed at the beginning of training camp in 2015 and was set to expire after next season.
“Russell’s goal and his hope was that he would continue his career with the Seahawks and continue to bring championships to this town,” his agent said. “He believes there is still unfinished business, and he is looking forward to pursuing that without having to worry about contracts and his future.”
Wilson, 30, had set a midnight deadline for a new deal with Seattle. He wanted certainty about his contract before the start of the team’s off-season workout program, which began on Monday. Wilson showed up for the first day, and by the end of the night was posting a video with wife, Ciara, announcing the agreement.
The deal ends the debate about Wilson’s future with the Seahawks, although there seemed to be little doubt he would remain in Seattle for a while. The team held leverage knowing it most likely had at least three more seasons with Wilson under contract. Even if he played out 2019 under his current deal, Seattle could have used the franchise tag if needed to keep him under contract through 2020 and 2021 at a reasonable price by quarterback standards.
But the extension allows Seattle to budget for the future knowing how to work with Wilson’s hefty paycheck in the years ahead and build a contender around him.
