Seahawks QB Wilson: 'Hey Seattle, we got a deal'

[Anthony]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/26535311/hey-seattle-got-deal

on to the draft!!

Yes I now it was posted but it deserved its own thread not buried in another

[Aseahawkfan]

I knew all the speculation was pure horsecrap. Seahawks would be the dumbest team in NFL history to let their Hall of Fame franchise QB go during his prime years.

Here's to four more years of Russell Wilson. Glad to have him.

[jshawaii22]

35 million a year in new money and I bet after '23, he won't be in the top 10 anymore as all these young punk QB's will pass him.

So.... is this a deal for Russell? For the Team? If the contract numbers are true, the idea that he wanted to 'stick it to us' in order to keep him seems a little off base. 65m in signing bonus seems reasonable and he got 107m and I thought he'd want $100m guaranteed. Seems about right.

We'll see when the 'real' contract terms come out.

NFL Network threw in that he got a No-Trade Clause. I wonder if it also included a no-tag clause, even if there may no longer be a FTag in the new Labor contract.

[RiverDog]

I just read that! Great news! Now we can put to rest these rumors of him wanting out and get down to the business of winning another Lombardi!

Go Hawks!

And yes, Anthony I agree with you. This news deserves its own thread.

[Hawktawk]

Right on. 5 more years of the wizard working his magic

[jshawaii22]

... so a lot of it (media talking heads, websites, etc) was all misinformation, as usual building up to the meeting with (at least) Schneider, Pete and Russell's agent that worked out a perfectly normal extension... that makes Russell the highest paid, at this time. Evidently, all the talk of a demanding a sliding contract that would always keep him the highest paid (not a bad idea) and "I want to go to NY" by the wife among other crap...may not of been the truth. No kidding? They looked like a cute couple tonight. More power to 'em. and Go Hawks.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/04/16/russell-wilsons-agent-he-didnt-want-to-leave-seattle/?__twitter_impression=true

[obiken]

I just read that! Great news! Now we can put to rest these rumors of him wanting out and get down to the business of winning another Lombardi!

Go Hawks!

And yes, Anthony I agree with you. This news deserves its own thread.

I am glad you are happy, I am not, the prospect of being the GB Packers of the NW, is not a pleasant one.

[RiverDog]

Right on. 5 more years of the wizard working his magic

Uh, it's a 4 year contract, superseding his previous one so it starts in 2019 and takes him through the 2022 season.

[RiverDog]

I just read that! Great news! Now we can put to rest these rumors of him wanting out and get down to the business of winning another Lombardi!

Go Hawks!

And yes, Anthony I agree with you. This news deserves its own thread.

I am glad you are happy, I am not, the prospect of being the GB Packers of the NW, is not a pleasant one.

You have to put your trust in Pete and John. I'm sure they've worked the numbers running various scenarios. If they didn't think that they could be competitive with a deal like this, they wouldn't have made the offer.

There's a lot of things we can second guess a head coach on, particularly game decisions and strategy, like whether or not to go for it on 4th down, the wisdom of running vs. passing, when to use your time outs. Most of us are relatively qualified to venture an opinion as we've had decades of watching football. But all of us here in this forum are pretty naïve when it comes to balancing the business aspect of the game with the quality of teams their budget will allow them to put on the field. That's why I didn't really take a position on resigning him, just that I wasn't married to Russell Wilson, or any other player for that matter.

Considering the money I heard being tossed around, $35M is relatively cheap. However, obi's point is well taken. This pretty much assures that we'll be trading Frank Clark and might mean that we may have to part ways with Bobby after this season. But at least we know how much we can afford.

[idhawkman]

I just read that! Great news! Now we can put to rest these rumors of him wanting out and get down to the business of winning another Lombardi!

Go Hawks!

And yes, Anthony I agree with you. This news deserves its own thread.

I am glad you are happy, I am not, the prospect of being the GB Packers of the NW, is not a pleasant one.

I agree with obi, we better win it all this year because I believe we are headed for mediocrity for the next 4 years after that.

[idhawkman]

Right on. 5 more years of the wizard working his magic

Uh, it's a 4 year contract, superseding his previous one so it starts in 2019 and takes him through the 2022 season.

I think there is a bit of confusion to be cleared up when the details are fully released. I'm hearing it was a 4 year extension which would be a total of 5 years if you count this year being added to the 4 year extension. Not sure which it is yet.

[idhawkman]

Well, on the positive side, you got to hand it to RW. Being picked in the 3rd round and claimed too small for the NFL to now being the highest ever paid player in the league. Great big round of applause to him, his team mates that made it happen, the coach that helped him develop and the organization as a whole that had the faith and confidence in him to achieve this feat.

[RiverDog]

Right on. 5 more years of the wizard working his magic

Uh, it's a 4 year contract, superseding his previous one so it starts in 2019 and takes him through the 2022 season.

I think there is a bit of confusion to be cleared up when the details are fully released. I'm hearing it was a 4 year extension which would be a total of 5 years if you count this year being added to the 4 year extension. Not sure which it is yet.

Wilson had a year left on his previous deal with the Seahawks, although his representatives reportedly made clear a new contract needed to be agreed to by the deadline. Henderson noted the 30-year-old was set to make $17 million in his final season.

Based on that language, the new deal takes effect this season.

[c_hawkbob]

I love it!

My favorite bits:

The no trade clause: kinda withers up the whole "wants to go to NY" narrative doesn't it?

The structure: watching NFLN this morning word is that Rodgers was willing to go with less money per year and up front to tie the annual salary to the salary cap but the Seahawks were willing to go "biggest ever" numbers to seal the deal under the deadline and maintain their own salary model. I think this is wise in light of the impending labor negotiations; who knows what the cap will look like in the new CBA? Better the devil you know.

The deadline: Just like last time, Russ' priority was not to be distracted from football for the sake of business. There's a time for each, no reason one should negatively impact the other. Glad he stuck to his guns.

The fact that it all shows once again that Florio's a buttplug. Anytime you can trace a Seahawks hand wringer back to Florio, breath easy. Heaps > Florio.

[idhawkman]

I love it!

My favorite bits:

The no trade clause: kinda withers up the whole "wants to go to NY" narrative doesn't it?

The structure: watching NFLN this morning word is that Rodgers was willing to go with less money per year and up front to tie the annual salary to the salary cap but the Seahawks were willing to go "biggest ever" numbers to seal the deal under the deadline and maintain their own salary model. I think this is wise in light of the impending labor negotiations; who knows what the cap will look like in the new CBA? Better the devil you know.

The deadline: Just like last time, Russ' priority was not to be distracted from football for the sake of business. There's a time for each, no reason one should negatively impact the other. Glad he stuck to his guns.

The fact that it all shows once again that Florio's a buttplug. Anytime you can trace a Seahawks hand wringer back to Florio, breath easy. Heaps > Florio.

Cleanup on aisle 5.... Reminder to self, "don't read while drinking coffee, it ruins your screen."

[RiverDog]

The no trade clause: kinda withers up the whole "wants to go to NY" narrative doesn't it?

If my understanding of no trade clauses is correct, they do not mean that the player can't be traded. It simply means that any trade requires his approval. But the contract as a whole clears up that narrative. This is now quite clearly Russell's team.

[idhawkman]

Wilson had a year left on his previous deal with the Seahawks, although his representatives reportedly made clear a new contract needed to be agreed to by the deadline. Henderson noted the 30-year-old was set to make $17 million in his final season.

Based on that language, the new deal takes effect this season.

Wouldn't that make it a "New Contract" instead of an "Extension" then? I think we need clarification on that part of the reporting. Is it a new contract for 4 years or an Extension of 4 years.

[RiverDog]

Right on. 5 more years of the wizard working his magic

Hawktalk, you have my apology. I was wrong, or so it would appear:

The mega deal will keep Wilson, 30, under contract through the 2023 season. There's a no-trade clause in the extension, according to multiple reports.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/283 ... aid-player

[Hawk Sista]

Thank the heavens!

[c_hawkbob]

The no trade clause: kinda withers up the whole "wants to go to NY" narrative doesn't it?

If my understanding of no trade clauses is correct, they do not mean that the player can't be traded. It simply means that any trade requires his approval. But the contract as a whole clears up that narrative. This is now quite clearly Russell's team.

I do believe that's the case with all no trade clauses.

[c_hawkbob]

The fact that it all shows once again that Florio's a buttplug. Anytime you can trace a Seahawks hand wringer back to Florio, breath easy. Heaps > Florio.

Cleanup on aisle 5.... Reminder to self, "don't read while drinking coffee, it ruins your screen."

Sorry 'bout the screen bro.

[trents]

What happens if Russ gets a career ending injury this next season? I assume he won't get the whole 140 mil. How does that scenario play out in deals like this?

[NorthHawk]

Wouldn't that make it a "New Contract" instead of an "Extension" then? I think we need clarification on that part of the reporting. Is it a new contract for 4 years or an Extension of 4 years.

Here's another comment from PFT which might shed some light on the length of the contract:

For Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, the contract has a value from signing (per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media) of five years and $157 million. That’s an average at signing of $31.4 million per year.

Setting aside the $17 million that Wilson would have made in 2019, the last year of his prior contract, the new money consists of $140 million over four years, which equates to a new-money average of $35 million per year.

It sounds to me like it's 4 additional years to the existing contract.

Edit:
He'll be 35 when this contract is done and if the team wants, it could then FT him and get a 6th year, so it's a good deal for all sides.

[c_hawkbob]

What happens if Russ gets a career ending injury this next season? I assume he won't get the whole 140 mil. How does that scenario play out in deals like this?

He gets put on the injury exempt list, they negotiate an injury settlement and life goes on.

[mykc14]

He gets put on the injury exempt list, they negotiate an injury settlement and life goes on.

Not exactly. That scenario only plays out when a team says a player is injured and they want out of the player wants out of their contract so they can go try to play somewhere else. It depends on how much of this salary is guaranteed due to injury. However much that is the Hawks will have to count against the salary cap. They have to, at some point, count for all the guaranteed money in this contract.

[c_hawkbob]

Where are you getting that "only if" in information?

[idhawkman]

Sorry 'bout the screen bro.

No worries, the laugh was worth it.

[idhawkman]

What happens if Russ gets a career ending injury this next season? I assume he won't get the whole 140 mil. How does that scenario play out in deals like this?

He gets put on the injury exempt list, they negotiate an injury settlement and life goes on.

I could be wrong on this but if my memory serves me correctly, they will take the remaining signing bonus and any other guaranteed money and excellerate it into the cap hit for the next year.

E.g. if he gets hurt this year and he signed a $65M signing bonus and he has another $35M guaranteed then the average of that $65M would be spread over 5 years and $13M of it would count against this year's cap.

Then the remaining $52M plus the $35M of additional guarantees will accelerate into next year's cap hit. Then there is no other hit for 2021 and beyond. (NOTE: these number may be off a bit because some of that $35M guaranteed on top would be paid this year so deduct that from the cap hit of 2020).

[mykc14]

Where are you getting that "only if" in information?

Here are a few articles that discuss injury settlements:

https://nationalfootballpost.com/negoti ... ettlement/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/overthecap ... ments/amp/

There’s a decent amount of reading to do in both of those but basically they talk about the fact that injury settlements are done in cases where a non-veteran player who doesn’t really have very much guaranteed money on their contract gets hurt- not with an injury that serious enough to keep them out the whole year, but let’s say a 6-10 week injury. The team is on the hook to keep them on IR and pay them until they are healthy. The player might want to play that season (not spend the whole season on the I.R.) so they negotiate an injury settlement and are allowed to sign elsewhere and the team only pays the salary for the amount of weeks they are negotiated to be injured, which saves the team money (two doctors usually will look at the player and give their diagnosis on how long he will be out then the agent and team negotiate how many weeks they will be paid).

If a player is owed more money in guarantees than their salary for a year the team would just put them on IR.

[mykc14]

I could be wrong on this but if my memory serves me correctly, they will take the remaining signing bonus and any other guaranteed money and excellerate it into the cap hit for the next year.

E.g. if he gets hurt this year and he signed a $65M signing bonus and he has another $35M guaranteed then the average of that $65M would be spread over 5 years and $13M of it would count against this year's cap.

Then the remaining $52M plus the $35M of additional guarantees will accelerate into next year's cap hit. Then there is no other hit for 2021 and beyond. (NOTE: these number may be off a bit because some of that $35M guaranteed on top would be paid this year so deduct that from the cap hit of 2020)

That is my understanding as well, except there is a June 1st loophole in which each team has the opportunity to have one player their “post June 1st cut.” That players cap hit would then be spread over the next two years. Of course if RW were hurt and he had like 100 mil of I jury guaranteed in his contract the Hawks would never cut him and incur 2 $50 million cap hits. Instead they would just keep him on the roster and IR him then they would be able to spread his cap hit out as long as they wanted (probably over three years) like they have done with Jam.

[mykc14]

As I look into this contract a little more I am really surprised, and happy that the Hawks got him to sign a 4 year extension as opposed to a 3 year extension like he signed last time. This allows them to spread that cap hit out another year and gives them a little wiggle room. Unfortunately when they adjusted his contract a few years ago after the Duane Brown trade it left him with a higher cap hit for 2019 (25 mil). This means that the Hawks will have to fit in 4 years at 35 mil and 1 year at 25 mil into the cap, which is an average of 33 million. This still allows them to get creative with their cap hits, and even allows them to lower this years hit, if they want. They could also increase his cap hit this year to help them in future seasons. With all of the guys they need to extend on this team getting that 4th year of an extension really gives them some more wiggle room to make the other contracts work.

[RiverDog]

As I look into this contract a little more I am really surprised, and happy that the Hawks got him to sign a 4 year extension as opposed to a 3 year extension like he signed last time. This allows them to spread that cap hit out another year and gives them a little wiggle room. Unfortunately when they adjusted his contract a few years ago after the Duane Brown trade it left him with a higher cap hit for 2019 (25 mil). This means that the Hawks will have to fit in 4 years at 35 mil and 1 year at 25 mil into the cap, which is an average of 33 million. This still allows them to get creative with their cap hits, and even allows them to lower this years hit, if they want. They could also increase his cap hit this year to help them in future seasons. With all of the guys they need to extend on this team getting that 4th year of an extension really gives them some more wiggle room to make the other contracts work.

Thanks a bunch for your contributions, mykc! J/B there isn't a reply doesn't mean no one's listening.

I'm pretty much a Goober when it comes to manipulating the salary cap, so your observations are very enlightening.

[mykc14]

Thanks a bunch for your contributions, mykc! J/B there isn't a reply doesn't mean no one's listening.

I'm pretty much a Goober when it comes to manipulating the salary cap, so your observations are very enlightening.

Thanks, it helps me to clear my thoughts too just typing it out even if nobody responds.

[NorthHawk]

It actually looks like a team friendly deal in that the Cap goes up every year and there is still
the impact of gambling revenue in the next few years. We've seen over the last couple of years
a $10 Million increase or thereabouts every year. Some are suggesting it might start going up
by $15 Million in some years. That should make it easier for the team to pay players that
become the future core and the QB position will not be much of an impediment to doing that.

[obiken]

The only winner in this is Cianna and RW. The Fans lose. I thought the guy was as much, or more about winning than Brady, Wrong. I think Pete and John got bent over. He creates a phony deadline and they folded like a cheap suit. They have never put anyone of real quality around RW on the Offense since Lynch left.
No question, all due respect to River, he bailed out PC's career, we were headed to a 3rd 7-9 season, he almost wins in Atlanta, takes us to 2 SB's in a row, and then the LOB gets all the credit. He was one more season of Matt Flynn, of being down the road. This year He made 0 moves in FA, and we only have 4 draft picks.
I think it was all BS. No team was going to pay Wilson this kind of money, and Seattle a boatload of Draft picks, just to get Russell Wilson. The Price was too high. IF I am wrong, Name me one team. Dallas is next, if they don't win it all this year, they are done, and JJ always over pays for the talent. I would have floated and then tagged him next year. Either way we have seen the best of RW. If you think I am wrong see the warm, fuzzy video that he put out. I think the new NFL is upon us, you either get good at finding new young QB's, or you live with the fact that you win games but no SB's with a qb on a max contract. I am not angry or depressed, I just see the 9ers getting better, Dallas got better, and we lost pieces. He took us to 10-6 and the Playoffs without the LOB, he deserves his money, but Like I said, we are now the GB Packers of the NW.

[burrrton]

The fact that it all shows once again that Florio's a buttplug. Anytime you can trace a Seahawks hand wringer back to Florio, breath easy. Heaps > Florio.

To back up what Bob says about Florio, Ian Rappaport today says he was talking to Mark Rodgers (agent?) throughout all this and he said his instructions from Wilson were to "get the best deal you can, but ENSURE I STAY IN SEATTLE."

Florio was full of sh*t.

Regarding the contract, I'm hesitant to celebrate too wildly due to the size of the deal, but I know I'd have been positively *despondent* if RW had gone elsewhere.

[c_hawkbob]

Thanks Burr, I googled Rappaport and came up with this:

"Russell wanted more than anything to stay in Seattle," Rodgers told Rapoport. "My job was to make sure of it, while doing the best deal possible. The no-trade clause clinched it. We didn't want to get to draft night three years from now and have his name in trade rumors. Once they offered that, we knew we would have a deal."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... in-seattle

So not only was the no trade clause a part of the deal, it was the clincher!

Florio on the other hand is already saying Russ is going to be wanting to hold out in 2 or 3 years because he'll feel underpaid ... and like everything else he says it like it's not only true but blatantly obvious.

[idhawkman]

Thanks, it helps me to clear my thoughts too just typing it out even if nobody responds.

I'm right there with Riv on this. I think it made sense to do it this way but I wonder, does that really make him the highest paid if Aaron's deal was for $33.5M / year? Not that it matters, he's here and at an average lower price than we thought ($1.5m/yr)

[idhawkman]

The only winner in this is Cianna and RW. The Fans lose. I thought the guy was as much, or more about winning than Brady, Wrong. I think Pete and John got bent over. He creates a phony deadline and they folded like a cheap suit. They have never put anyone of real quality around RW on the Offense since Lynch left.
No question, all due respect to River, he bailed out PC's career, we were headed to a 3rd 7-9 season, he almost wins in Atlanta, takes us to 2 SB's in a row, and then the LOB gets all the credit. He was one more season of Matt Flynn, of being down the road. This year He made 0 moves in FA, and we only have 4 draft picks.
I think it was all BS. No team was going to pay Wilson this kind of money, and Seattle a boatload of Draft picks, just to get Russell Wilson. The Price was too high. IF I am wrong, Name me one team. Dallas is next, if they don't win it all this year, they are done, and JJ always over pays for the talent. I would have floated and then tagged him next year. Either way we have seen the best of RW. If you think I am wrong see the warm, fuzzy video that he put out. I think the new NFL is upon us, you either get good at finding new young QB's, or you live with the fact that you win games but no SB's with a qb on a max contract. I am not angry or depressed, I just see the 9ers getting better, Dallas got better, and we lost pieces. He took us to 10-6 and the Playoffs without the LOB, he deserves his money, but Like I said, we are now the GB Packers of the NW.

I don't disagree with you on most of what you say but I have to question the part about the niners getting better when they just way overpaid for their QB. They are in a similar boat as we are.

The rest I totally agree with. Teams that win it all will be those that can pay for very good talent at multiple positions and stay healthy. Those that will compete but not win will be the teams that have the one or two prima donnas that are way over paid. Then there's the Browns and other orgs like the Bucs, Dolphins and Bills that will probably never compete again because their orgs are so screwed up.

[idhawkman]

Looking at the silver lining I have to add that with this beefed up Oline we have now and a run first mentality, the chances of RW making it at least a couple years into this deal very plausible. The biggest risk I see in this deal is in years 1 and 2 but after that, the cap hit "IF" something tragic happens won't be so bad.