Rumor: RW asking to be the highest paid player in history

[ZagHawk]

Lets just say this, the deal hasn't been signed yet, which obviously means the Hawks are not offering him as much as he wants. I doubt the Hawks are offering any less than $20M. There may be some truth to this...

 

[TwistedHusky]

I am actually surprised that people are surprised.

Early in Wilson's contract, there was a little bit released that someone in his camp was upset about his contract and wanted to renegotiate it. Of course, you cannot do that with rookie contracts, this was reported, and the popular narrative/story was that Wilson's then wife, Ashton, was the cause for this issue.

It was then shrugged off, because again it was an impossible request.

However, if it was indeed Wilson or someone from his camp with influence, then it makes perfect sense that not only will they demand to renegotiate the minute the lock is off, but that the demands will likely be unreasonable - as they were in the first instance.

Wilson has rightfully earned the ability to make the case he deserves more. Does his deserving more put us into an Aaron Rodgers circumstance where the payment requirements strip the ability of the team to be competitive in other areas? Probably.

But you cannot dispute his value, just that paying him appropriately will gut the team. And you still have to come back to the fact that Lynch is still the most important offensive weapon on the team and he gets paid little in comparison to this demand.

Not really an easy resolution, but it shouldn't surprise anyone that the issue surfaced at all. We had a clear indicator this was coming.

 

[northseahawk]

i want to see the man without Lynch before making such a commitment. because right now it seems like ML is worth the highest paid player.

 

[Rob12]

If this is what Russ wants... Man. I don't know if we can or should swing it.

 

[Rob12]

To the folks slinging mud as they sit on their pedestals:

Of course this a rumor. It could be false; it could be true. It's the offseason. Fans are on edge over the RW extension. We all knew it would be a big deal. This is a message board, where things about the Seahawks are discussed. This was a 'report' from a local guy. People are going to talk and give their thoughts and opinions. It's a highly volatile subject.

There's really no need to put others down or question their intellect or sensibilities because they might believe that this is the route RW is taking.

Just saying.

 

[kearly]

It's an awful lot of money to pay a game manager.

Would be more accurate to say he's a sandlot player. Though it's true, guys that run around and make magic happen usually aren't the highest paid in sport. Doesn't mean they aren't worth it, of course.

 

[kearly]

That is an extremely risky thing to do as a NFL player.

Everyone knows this is a rough sport. Anything can happen. Taking a 2 year contract, especially one that is only guaranteed for 2 years vs. one that is guaranteed for much longer, does not seem wise.

I hope Wilson is convinced by this opinion. The sooner he signs, the less money he'll cost in the long haul.

But I doubt he would be. He's already got millions in the bank from paychecks and endorsements, and he is already nationally famous for the rest of his life. And even if he didn't already have money and fame, even if he had nothing at all, he'd still believe that God would take care of him no matter what.

Wilson has no real reason to fear a worst case scenario. And by all appearances, he does not.

 

[kearly]

Here is the deal, Sherman, and Thomas are the best two players at their position. People may argue that Revis is better, but I think that is a load of crap. Both Sherman, and Thomas could say "we are the best at our position" and nobody would bat an eye.

Wilson on the other hand is closer to the 8-10th best QB in the NFL right now. I understand as the salary cap goes up, players will demand a larger contract, and even players who are not necessarily the best in the league will demand top tier money. The issues here in my opinion is: how much guaranteed money is Wilson asking for? What does a "significant margin" actually mean? Is it just hundreds of thousands more, or is it many millions more than the best QB in the league?

If significantly more means MILLIONS more, and a record amount of guaranteed money, then I think Seattle may need to play hardball with Wilson or perhaps look in a new direction for a Quarterback.

In five years, perhaps sooner, there is a very real chance that Wilson and Luck will be to QBs what Revis and Sherman are to CBs today.

I would be very surprised if guaranteed money was the main sticking point. It's not like the Seahawks are suddenly going to cut Russell Wilson, and his injury history at every level is as good as it gets. It seems likely to me that Wilson would prefer a deal with less guaranteed money and higher incentives / AYP. He believes in himself more than anyone else in the NFL, and it seems to be that earning the most money possible matters to him.

 

[Anthony!]

So far a lot of nothing. A lot of guessing, speculating and what not. A lot of Lynch is the most important player on offense, remind me how many SB we got to with just Lynch? answer 0. As to I would like to see Wilson without Lynch stuff, okay I would like to see how god this team is without Wilson, oh wait we already have. You know it is funny how people look at things. Lets look at Lynch without Wilson

Without Wilson and only counting seasons were he got at least 250 attempts he avg the below

1118 yards, 4.1 ypa, 9 tds, 232 yards receiving, .66 tds

Now lets see with Wilson he avg

1384 yards, 4.6 ypa, 12tds, 293 yards receiving, 2.3 tds

Hmm sure seems like Lynch got better with Wilson as well.

Now the issue of seeing Wilson without Lynch. That is interesting, Now I am not going to go back and look at every game and see how Wilson did when Lynch was not in. What I will do is look at how Wilson did when Lynch was not getting enough carries(20) and avg under 4ypa

So last year that was 2 games. Now I know some will say but he was on the filed and that makes a difference and that is true but as I showed the same can be said of Wilson for Lynch.

The 2 games were Rams loss and First AZ win. In those games Wilson numbers were

Rams game
23/36 313 yards, 2 tds, 64% compt, 110 Qb rating, 8.69 ypa(Lynch had 18 carries and 2.9 ypa) and 106 rushing and 1 td

AZ game
17/22 211 yards, 1 td, 77% complt%, 121.6 Qb rating, 9.59 ypa(Lynch had 15 carries and 2.6 ypa) and 73 yard rushing

So it sure seems Wilson does just fine even when Lynch is MIA. Like I said yes Lynch being there does help. However Wilson being there helps Lynch also. And since unlike all those other franchise QBs who do not have a great back Wilson till now(JG) has not had a top WR threat or 2.

You see what most of you forget is all those QBs who throw the ball 30+ times and put up those huge numbers without a top RB, they all have much better WRs and much better olines. Give Wilson an avg Rb and better WR and oline and there is little doubt he can do it.
Let me remind you 2012 post season Atl game with Lynch MIA and everyone knowing Wilson had to carry the team, he did and if not for the defense giving up 1 FG with 20 seconds left we would have played in the NFCCG.

Just a reminder
Lynch had 16 carries 46 yards, and 37 receiving

Wilson with every knowing he had to do it had
385 yards passing, 67% comp, 109 QB rating, 2 tds, and 60 yards rushing and a td

Yeah he can do it and has proven he can.

 

[Pandion Haliaetus]

blah to the blahbity blah blah

Yep, so far a whole lot of nothing.

 

[kearly]

Trade him. Should have done it for mariota.

Man, this thread so needs to be archived. Some gems in this one.

 

[Tical21]

So far a lot of nothing. A lot of guessing, speculating and what not. A lot of Lynch is the most important player on offense, remind me how many SB we got to with just Lynch? answer 0. As to I would like to see Wilson without Lynch stuff, okay I would like to see how god this team is without Wilson, oh wait we already have. You know it is funny how people look at things. Lets look at Lynch without Wilson

Without Wilson and only counting seasons were he got at least 250 attempts he avg the below

1118 yards, 4.1 ypa, 9 tds, 232 yards receiving, .66 tds

Now lets see with Wilson he avg

1384 yards, 4.6 ypa, 12tds, 293 yards receiving, 2.3 tds

Hmm sure seems like Lynch got better with Wilson as well.

Now the issue of seeing Wilson without Lynch. That is interesting, Now I am not going to go back and look at every game and see how Wilson did when Lynch was not in. What I will do is look at how Wilson did when Lynch was not getting enough carries(20) and avg under 4ypa

So last year that was 2 games. Now I know some will say but he was on the filed and that makes a difference and that is true but as I showed the same can be said of Wilson for Lynch.

The 2 games were Rams loss and First AZ win. In those games Wilson numbers were

Rams game
23/36 313 yards, 2 tds, 64% compt, 110 Qb rating, 8.69 ypa(Lynch had 18 carries and 2.9 ypa) and 106 rushing and 1 td

AZ game
17/22 211 yards, 1 td, 77% complt%, 121.6 Qb rating, 9.59 ypa(Lynch had 15 carries and 2.6 ypa) and 73 yard rushing

So it sure seems Wilson does just fine even when Lynch is MIA. Like I said yes Lynch being there does help. However Wilson being there helps Lynch also. And since unlike all those other franchise QBs who do not have a great back Wilson till now(JG) has not had a top WR threat or 2.

You see what most of you forget is all those QBs who throw the ball 30+ times and put up those huge numbers without a top RB, they all have much better WRs and much better olines. Give Wilson an avg Rb and better WR and oline and there is little doubt he can do it.
Let me remind you 2012 post season Atl game with Lynch MIA and everyone knowing Wilson had to carry the team, he did and if not for the defense giving up 1 FG with 20 seconds left we would have played in the NFCCG.

Just a reminder
Lynch had 16 carries 46 yards, and 37 receiving

Wilson with every knowing he had to do it had
385 yards passing, 67% comp, 109 QB rating, 2 tds, and 60 yards rushing and a td

Yeah he can do it and has proven he can.

So you're telling me we're a .500 team without Lynch?

 

[Spin Doctor]

Here is the deal, Sherman, and Thomas are the best two players at their position. People may argue that Revis is better, but I think that is a load of crap. Both Sherman, and Thomas could say "we are the best at our position" and nobody would bat an eye.

Wilson on the other hand is closer to the 8-10th best QB in the NFL right now. I understand as the salary cap goes up, players will demand a larger contract, and even players who are not necessarily the best in the league will demand top tier money. The issues here in my opinion is: how much guaranteed money is Wilson asking for? What does a "significant margin" actually mean? Is it just hundreds of thousands more, or is it many millions more than the best QB in the league?

If significantly more means MILLIONS more, and a record amount of guaranteed money, then I think Seattle may need to play hardball with Wilson or perhaps look in a new direction for a Quarterback.

In five years, perhaps sooner, there is a very real chance that Wilson and Luck will be to QBs what Revis and Sherman are to CBs today.

I would be very surprised if guaranteed money was the main sticking point. It's not like the Seahawks are suddenly going to cut Russell Wilson, and his injury history at every level is as good as it gets. It seems likely to me that Wilson would prefer a deal with less guaranteed money and higher incentives / AYP. He believes in himself more than anyone else in the NFL, and it seems to be that earning the most money possible matters to him.

Just for the record I do not mind giving Wilson a sizable contract, despite a "certain thread" that I started awhile back. He fits our style well, with Matt Flynn I doubt we make two superbowls. Russell Wilson's ability to avoid costly turnovers, and extend drives with his legs is invaluable to running our ball control offense. Now, if Wilson is truly asking for a bigger contract than any QB in the NFL "by a large margin" this is where problems occur. I think paying him that much money is setting up the franchise to be mired in mediocrity.

In that thread Tical dug up some interesting information: QB's that take up more than a certain percentage of the salary cap, tend to not win super bowls. I think this would be a true statement for the Seahawks, a team that relied upon its defensive prowess to stymie opposing offenses. While Wilson has been clutch, he has also been backed by historically good defenses. His main job was to burn the clock, and make big plays happen when we need them, he has done that well. To his credit not every QB could have done that.

The problem comes when the Seahawks have to change their identity to accommodate Russell Wilson. We will not be able to keep some of our defensive studs if he signs that aforementioned contract. That is where the money is on our team, and we are very close to being at the cap limit. The Seahawks are going to need to make some tough decisions if such a contract is signed. Wilson will be forced to become a volume passer under this scenario whether Pete Carroll likes it or not.

The question is can he do it? Yes I think he can, but I do not think he will ever become an Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning even when you factor in his rushing yards. I think in order to justify paying a player 'above top QB money by a large margin' that player needs to demonstrate that they are like Rodgers, Brees, and co; not only put up the volume stats, but also have the efficiency and touchdown numbers at the same time. I do not think Wilson is capable of that feat. I just think he is too limited as a pure passer, and I think injuries start becoming a concern if he ever had to put up 500-600 attempts in a single season with his current style.

True he does not have a history of injury in college or the NFL, but it becomes a whole new game if he scrambles as much as he does now on a large number of hits. He is very savvy when it comes to scrambling and running, but he still takes more big hits than your average QB. Those hits will add up over time, in fact I have a sneaking suspicion that he has played injured for part of the 2013, and part of the 2014 season. In those two years there are times in the season where he did not look like himself for a good portion of the season, he had sudden drop offs.

The tl;dr version: If you're going to pay a QB, more than top QB money, he better be able to not only get volume stats, but put up good efficiency stats much like Manning, Rodgers and co. have been able to do for years. If Wilson is not able to become that guy, then we should move on if he refuses to budge from his current stance, because he will have to become like a Rodgers, or Manning if we ever want to win a superbowl again under Carroll. While I think Wilson can be a decent volume passer I do not ever think he will be a Manning or Rodgers even when you factor in his running.

 

[Spin Doctor]

So far a lot of nothing. A lot of guessing, speculating and what not. A lot of Lynch is the most important player on offense, remind me how many SB we got to with just Lynch? answer 0. As to I would like to see Wilson without Lynch stuff, okay I would like to see how god this team is without Wilson, oh wait we already have. You know it is funny how people look at things. Lets look at Lynch without Wilson

Without Wilson and only counting seasons were he got at least 250 attempts he avg the below

1118 yards, 4.1 ypa, 9 tds, 232 yards receiving, .66 tds

Now lets see with Wilson he avg

1384 yards, 4.6 ypa, 12tds, 293 yards receiving, 2.3 tds

Hmm sure seems like Lynch got better with Wilson as well.

Now the issue of seeing Wilson without Lynch. That is interesting, Now I am not going to go back and look at every game and see how Wilson did when Lynch was not in. What I will do is look at how Wilson did when Lynch was not getting enough carries(20) and avg under 4ypa

So last year that was 2 games. Now I know some will say but he was on the filed and that makes a difference and that is true but as I showed the same can be said of Wilson for Lynch.

The 2 games were Rams loss and First AZ win. In those games Wilson numbers were

Rams game
23/36 313 yards, 2 tds, 64% compt, 110 Qb rating, 8.69 ypa(Lynch had 18 carries and 2.9 ypa) and 106 rushing and 1 td

AZ game
17/22 211 yards, 1 td, 77% complt%, 121.6 Qb rating, 9.59 ypa(Lynch had 15 carries and 2.6 ypa) and 73 yard rushing

So it sure seems Wilson does just fine even when Lynch is MIA. Like I said yes Lynch being there does help. However Wilson being there helps Lynch also. And since unlike all those other franchise QBs who do not have a great back Wilson till now(JG) has not had a top WR threat or 2.

You see what most of you forget is all those QBs who throw the ball 30+ times and put up those huge numbers without a top RB, they all have much better WRs and much better olines. Give Wilson an avg Rb and better WR and oline and there is little doubt he can do it.
Let me remind you 2012 post season Atl game with Lynch MIA and everyone knowing Wilson had to carry the team, he did and if not for the defense giving up 1 FG with 20 seconds left we would have played in the NFCCG.

Just a reminder
Lynch had 16 carries 46 yards, and 37 receiving

Wilson with every knowing he had to do it had
385 yards passing, 67% comp, 109 QB rating, 2 tds, and 60 yards rushing and a td

Yeah he can do it and has proven he can.

Now lets see him repeat those performances for a whole season. Having to do that only for a couple games a year vs. having to do that over the course of over a whole season is a whole different ball game. This will be the case if the defense is no longer what we know it as today. I think he can put up good numbers, but I don't think he will be great under those circumstances, merely just a good, serviceable QB.

 

[Tech Worlds]

It's an awful lot of money to pay a game manager.

Would be more accurate to say he's a sandlot player. Though it's true, guys that run around and make magic happen usually aren't the highest paid in sport. Doesn't mean they aren't worth it, of course.

I thought you would have been the last one, not the first, to fall for my sarcasm.

 

[Rob12]

So far a lot of nothing. A lot of guessing, speculating and what not. A lot of Lynch is the most important player on offense, remind me how many SB we got to with just Lynch? answer 0. As to I would like to see Wilson without Lynch stuff, okay I would like to see how god this team is without Wilson, oh wait we already have. You know it is funny how people look at things. Lets look at Lynch without Wilson

Without Wilson and only counting seasons were he got at least 250 attempts he avg the below

1118 yards, 4.1 ypa, 9 tds, 232 yards receiving, .66 tds

Now lets see with Wilson he avg

1384 yards, 4.6 ypa, 12tds, 293 yards receiving, 2.3 tds

Hmm sure seems like Lynch got better with Wilson as well.

Now the issue of seeing Wilson without Lynch. That is interesting, Now I am not going to go back and look at every game and see how Wilson did when Lynch was not in. What I will do is look at how Wilson did when Lynch was not getting enough carries(20) and avg under 4ypa

So last year that was 2 games. Now I know some will say but he was on the filed and that makes a difference and that is true but as I showed the same can be said of Wilson for Lynch.

The 2 games were Rams loss and First AZ win. In those games Wilson numbers were

Rams game
23/36 313 yards, 2 tds, 64% compt, 110 Qb rating, 8.69 ypa(Lynch had 18 carries and 2.9 ypa) and 106 rushing and 1 td

AZ game
17/22 211 yards, 1 td, 77% complt%, 121.6 Qb rating, 9.59 ypa(Lynch had 15 carries and 2.6 ypa) and 73 yard rushing

So it sure seems Wilson does just fine even when Lynch is MIA. Like I said yes Lynch being there does help. However Wilson being there helps Lynch also. And since unlike all those other franchise QBs who do not have a great back Wilson till now(JG) has not had a top WR threat or 2.

You see what most of you forget is all those QBs who throw the ball 30+ times and put up those huge numbers without a top RB, they all have much better WRs and much better olines. Give Wilson an avg Rb and better WR and oline and there is little doubt he can do it.
Let me remind you 2012 post season Atl game with Lynch MIA and everyone knowing Wilson had to carry the team, he did and if not for the defense giving up 1 FG with 20 seconds left we would have played in the NFCCG.

Just a reminder
Lynch had 16 carries 46 yards, and 37 receiving

Wilson with every knowing he had to do it had
385 yards passing, 67% comp, 109 QB rating, 2 tds, and 60 yards rushing and a td

Yeah he can do it and has proven he can.

I love Wilson probably as much as you, but you do realize that's a three game sample? Which is nothing? And those are not games Marshawn MISSED. He played, like you said. His numbers were subpar, but you better believe defenses were still fully accounting for him. This is not sound analysis at all.

You have to look at it with Marshawn completely out of the picture. You can't cherry pick a few games and make a judgment off of that. It just doesn't work that way.

 

[hawknation2015]

It's interesting to me that Russell's QB rating is nearly the same in wins (95.2) vs. losses (94.3). He is also 2-9 in games where the defense allows at least 24 points -- the average points scored by an NFL team is 24.3. That puts us in the bottom half of the league in winning percentage (.182) in such games since 2012. This data supports the idea that the play of the defense is the single greatest determinant of our success.

At the same time, Russell is the perfect QB for Carroll's offensive system. He throws an accurate and catchable ball, avoids sacks and INTs, and complements the running game. He also tends to be at his strongest at the end of games, which is a rare trait only found in the best QBs:


Compare this trend to a QB like Colin Kaepernick:

 

[Scottemojo]

emo reactions are so stupid.

Russell wants to own a football team someday, or so he has said. He isn't going to do that taking LESS money.

This is the cost of winning championships in the NFL. You will have to pay your QB. It will be expensive. Biggest contract ever? perhaps, until the next big one is signed. How long was Sherman the highest paid? A few days?

And a contract with Russ will get done. He isn't getting franchised, he isn't getting traded, he isn't going to see free agency. He knows it, Pete and John know it, I know it.

50 percent of you bitching about this would have begged to have this problem 5 years ago. The other 50 percent were probably cheering for some other team 5 years ago.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

And if you retro it back to what you got from the guy the last 3 seasons, it's a very good deal. Regardless how much he gets. It's a very good problem to have. The best QB in team history played so well the last 3 seasons that he is going to get a massive contract.

 

[Tech Worlds]

emo reactions are so stupid.

Russell wants to own a football team someday, or so he has said. He isn't going to do that taking LESS money.

This is the cost of winning championships in the NFL. You will have to pay your QB. It will be expensive. Biggest contract ever? perhaps, until the next big one is signed. How long was Sherman the highest paid? A few days?

And a contract with Russ will get done. He isn't getting franchised, he isn't getting traded, he isn't going to see free agency. He knows it, Pete and John know it, I know it.

50 percent of you bitching about this would have begged to have this problem 5 years ago. The other 50 percent were probably cheering for some other team 5 years ago.

Word.

Plus once Russ gets his deal done, and is the highest paid qb in the land it won't be long till Luck gets his deal, which will be bigger, those same fans will bitch about Luck getting the big coin and more recognition then Russ.

Justin Bieber wannabees.