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

[Hasselbeck]

Anyone that thought Russ would take below market value because he's a "nice guy" has been fooling themselves this entire time.

Of course he wants the highest paid deal ever.. that's how these things go. He will be the highest paid QB ever until Andrew Luck gets his extension. Then the next guy after Luck will top that. And on and on we go.

None of this news should surprise anyone, unless of course you were drinking from that cup of hope that had Russ taking less money because he visits kids at the Children's Hospital every week.

 

[Sports Hernia]

Oh No!!!

The sky is falling!

Everyday some new negativity: Clark the woman beater, The FO didn't do enough due diligence, they overpaid for Lockett, Bennett wants a trade, Russell wants to be the highest paid player in NFL history. most all of this is pure speculative horse pucker.

Whatever, can't wait for there to be some actual football news instead of soap opera versions of 'As the stomach churns'.

ukeface: ukeface: ukeface:

Welcome to the Facebook mentality of the Internet.

Can't blame Facebook. This kind of stuff has been .NET fodder since before Facebook was a thing.

Sure I can. The Facebook mentality has taken it to another level.

 

[Sports Hernia]

That would be true without the "wide margin" part of the quote. That doesn't sound like 500k over what Rodgers makes.

Also from what Softy was saying, it sounds like he's asking for the last year of his contract to be ripped up and start on a new contract starting at 20 some million a year. JS/PC extend players a year early but also extend and use the last year of the contract to help with salary cap, etc. Perhaps that's a sticking point. Maybe he doesn't want 1.5m this year and a big signing bonus, maybe he wants 20 some million this year and the big signing bonus and a bunch of years instead of the typical 4 years added as we've seen with extensions the past few contracts.

I don't really see a problem with 22.5m apy, I care about salary cap implications and how many years it's tolerable until we have to restructure and push cap charges into the future to keep our "window" open.

Hate to say it but JS set this up by caving into Lynch 2 years in a row. If they can give Lynch more money even though he has years left on his contract why not Wilson.

Nope. What set this up was RW going with a baseball agent that has no experience negotiating NFL contracts.

 

[Sports Hernia]

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.

Bingo! Finally a post with common sense. :th2thumbs:

 

[2hawk22]

Seems pretty steep for a game manager. I say sign a veteran and move on.

 

[volsunghawk]

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.

Folks. Read this post.

Then read it again.

It's the only post you need out of this entire thread.

QBs that prove they can win - however it happens - get rewarded. And due to the nature of the beast, the most recent reward is usually the most lucrative reward. Wilson WILL be the highest paid QB/player in league history when the Seahawks give him a new deal. And then as soon as Cam Newton and Andrew Luck sign their deals, Wilson will be 3rd.

 

[volsunghawk]

Oh No!!!

The sky is falling!

Everyday some new negativity: Clark the woman beater, The FO didn't do enough due diligence, they overpaid for Lockett, Bennett wants a trade, Russell wants to be the highest paid player in NFL history. most all of this is pure speculative horse pucker.

Whatever, can't wait for there to be some actual football news instead of soap opera versions of 'As the stomach churns'.

ukeface: ukeface: ukeface:

Welcome to the Facebook mentality of the Internet.

Can't blame Facebook. This kind of stuff has been .NET fodder since before Facebook was a thing.

Sure I can. The Facebook mentality has taken it to another level.

Pure nonsense. .NET has been like this forever. People who pine for "the old days" are relying on a pretty damn selective memory.

 

[JAGHAWK]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DangeRussWilson/status/594597035149398016[/tweet]

:hmmmm:

Listen, I love and appreciate RW just as much as the next 12 but give me a gosh darn break. ukeface:

 

[JimmyG]

2. Hometown discount? He had nothing to with Seattle until he was forced to play here. Nothing "hometown" about Seattle to Russ. It wouldn't surprise me at this point if he is attracted to a bigger media spotlight back east. Russ has definitely grown into a "superstar" type persona.

I think you're taking "hometown discount" too literally. In the context of pro sports and contracts, a "hometown" really just refers a place a player has spent a large/defining chunk of his career.

 

[Trenchbroom]

If he holds out for the maximum I will be a little disappointed. My belief this whole time is that he understands the dynamic of this team and that he appreciates having a roster full of other all stars that make his job easier. The number of top tier players we keep goes down quickly the more money he asks for.

I was hoping for a top 5 contract, maybe fully guaranteed to lessen the overall cap hit. With his endorsement deals, jersey sales, etc. he'd be making $30+ million every year. And he'd be on a team that can truly support an extended run of success, which gets him MORE money in endorsements and merchandising.

But max contract? That's more than a little hubris, more than a little arrogance. Even Tom Brady, the "old" benchmark for success, understood that he needed to give a little to keep other quality players on the field with him.

Does he deserve a max contract? Yes. Would another team pay it? Yes. But I still hope that he will take a longer view and gives a little to help keep this team (and this D) intact.

 

[mikeak]

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.

LMAO - nice "rant sentence"

 

[JAGHAWK]

If he holds out for the maximum I will be a little disappointed. My belief this whole time is that he understands the dynamic of this team and that he appreciates having a roster full of other all stars that make his job easier. The number of top tier players we keep goes down quickly the more money he asks for.

I was hoping for a top 5 contract, maybe fully guaranteed to lessen the overall cap hit. With his endorsement deals, jersey sales, etc. he'd be making $30+ million every year. And he'd be on a team that can truly support an extended run of success, which gets him MORE money in endorsements and merchandising.

But max contract? That's more than a little hubris, more than a little arrogance. Even Tom Brady, the "old" benchmark for success, understood that he needed to give a little to keep other quality players on the field with him.

Does he deserve a max contract? Yes. Would another team pay it? Yes. But I still hope that he will take a longer view and gives a little to help keep this team (and this D) intact.

My thoughts exactly. :th2thumbs:

 

[Vetamur]

I will say I am officially nervous right now.

And to be on the unpopular side of things.. Russ needs to understand that even if another team would pay more in a contract, it would be a huge risk. Another team, another coach, another defense, etc.. and he wouldnt be as good and wouldnt play up to contract and long term wouldnt make as much. The Seahawks and Russ are perfect for each other and need each other, but both have to realize that.

Russ is very important but hes one man in a system that is extraordinarily team orientated. If he needs so much money we cant put the right people around him, then, let him walk. Franchise him next year with the non exclusive tender and let someone give us 2 #1s.. we might not get someone exactly as good but I bet JS could find someone good enough .... Wilson at 25 million or a new QB at, say, 1 million and 24 million to spend on other positions..

I love Wilson. Absolutely love him. But if some of the stories coming out are true, Im also disappointed. Not because I dont think athletes shouldnt get paid..they should get a huge slice of the pie. But I thought ..and still hope Wilson is smart enough to understand the dynamics of the situation. Long term, even taking a couple million less a year in Seattle will get him more money.. staying with one team, staying in a system built around him, with a defense that has his back to an unprecedented degree... will build his brand, will build him up as a player.

 

[Evil_Shenanigans]

Why isn't there a salary cap for the owners?

I would bet that Seahawks revenues, through ticket sales, merchandising, playoff appearances etc have all trended significantly(!) upward since the arrival of young Mr. Wilson. Contributing untold hundreds of millions of dollars to the corporate bottom line. Yet we fans are left to ponder what scraps the people on the team get to fight over around the food dish. Really kind of sickening when you think about it. Wilson will get paid, Luck will get paid more, and that's just the way of things. We all knew this day was coming, its like the proverbial "Shite sandwich" time to take a bight or starve.

 

[JSeahawks]

He deserves to be.

He plays the most important position in sports. He's taking his team to the Super Bowl 2 out of 3 years. Contracts are continually increasing, even if he signs the highest contract ever right now, it won't be in a few months. I don't care that he throws less passes then most qbs, what he brings to the team is priceless.

Pay the man.

 

[ducks41468]

To me it depends on what "by a large margin" means. If he wants Aaron Rodgers money, I say pay the man. There's just too much risk involved to let go of a franchise QB. If he wants a significant premium to Aaron Rodgers money, like 30+% more, then I have my reservations. That being said, there's no precedent for him successfully negotiating that kind of premium, so I'm not too worried about a deal getting done. Salaries continue to go up over time, that's just the nature of the game. Every great player at his position will get a bigger contract than the last.

 

[DavidSeven]

But max contract? That's more than a little hubris, more than a little arrogance. Even Tom Brady, the "old" benchmark for success, understood that he needed to give a little to keep other quality players on the field with him.

Tom Brady signed the richest extension in NFL history in 2010 after coming off a second contract that had already paid him $60 million. He had been paid $100 million before he ever took his supposed "discount." He also married Gisele Bundchen whose net worth is double his. His household was already obscenely rich before he ever shaved a few paltry million off his deal. They are probably worth around $400 million together.

You absolutely cannot compare his situation to RW's, who has been the NFL's most underpaid player for three years and has never had an NFL payday.

 

[crosfam]

1. Play him on his current contract in 2015 - keep negotiating
2. Franchise him in 2016 - Keep negotiating. Draft replacement in Rd 1
3. Franchise him again - trade him after the season or trade replacement depending on if he signs long-term.

 

[Rob12]

Scotte's post was awesome, as was Vet's. Listen, this is a different type of situation, and one that Seattle sports fans are not all that used to. Especially Seahawks fans.

We have some big contracts on this team, but none will really rival the deal that Russ will sign. That's going to make people nervous and emotional.

There's no way that the Seahawks let him walk. There's just no way. The feasibility of that is zero. Whether folks outside of this state want to admit it or not, he's the face of this league moving forward. His jersey sells more than any other player. He's broken records through his first three years. He's won more games at this point in his career than any other QB and we've been to two straight SB's and won one.

He's simply not going anywhere. The media eats this up because it causes people to talk and tune in. But behind closed doors, I have to believe that all parties know that this thing will get done. It's only a matter of time.

I can't imagine this organization without him. I just can't. Pay the man.

This will result in us losing some key guys. That's the nature of the beast. PC will have to annihilate drafts and coach guys up to beast out in this scheme. But I just don't see guys like Bennett, Okung, Irvin, Graham (possibly), and others on this team past this season. I don't understand the cap, so I won't pass any of that off as fact, but I just don't see how it can all work.

I think the core of this organization is Russ, Earl, Kam, Sherm, and Wagner. I don't include Lynch because I think he rides off into the sunset after this season.

It's going to be painful but this deal has to get done. I still think he'll get $25M APY.

And it will cause us to reload a bit. It was painful when Red and Clem left, and I think when the dust settles, that's going to look like nothing.

 

[DavidSeven]

1. Play him on his current contract in 2015 - keep negotiating
2. Franchise him in 2016 - Keep negotiating. Draft replacement in Rd 1
3. Franchise him again - trade him after the season or trade replacement depending on if he signs long-term.

If you went the franchise route, you would only keep Wilson through 2016. You would have to trade him after that because his value on the open market is far higher than a 3rd round comp. You would only franchise him in 2017 to trade him away before the season started.

If you actually let him play out the two franchise years, then you potentially end up with nothing (except the comp pick). Would never happen unless JS fell asleep at the wheel in true Ruskell fashion.

All hypothetical, of course. Deal will get done.