Russell Wilson Signs a $1 Contract (supposition)

[Scottemojo]

Tom Brady took less money this year so his team could re-sign Welker. Welker left anyway. Tom took one for the team, then ended up with a scrap heap of players to throw to for most of the year. He should have just taken all the money he could get.

I agree with you in concept, especially regarding fans who are selfish themselves to expect their favorite players to resign for cheap. There is a place for players to consider team friendly contracts, however. Money is just one variable and once you have $40m in the bank your legacy and satisfaction from playing on a winning team start to become more important. If I liked the way my team was run then I would absolutely give a small hometown discount to spend my career with that team, rather than worry about topping the contract of comparable players for ego purposes. Of course that does come down to how you feel about the front office.

I agree there is a time and place for it, but that time is not when you get your first non rookie deal.

 

[kearly]

I don't think Wilson is ever going to be much of an endorsement guy. He's a great story and an inspiration, but isn't what I'd consider a charmer in the pop-culture sense. He's cool to like but not actually cool like Jordan was. Remember, this is a guy 90% of the nation actually believes is a game manager QB. He's had far more success than guys like RG3 and yet has seen fewer endorsements because RG3 has a much cooler appearance / image.

I could definitely see Wilson taking less money to increase his chances for more rings. But if he just takes his $100 million, we shouldn't begrudge him. He's earned it.

 

[Bigpumpkin]

There's a reason players have agents negotiate for them.

BINGO!! Not sure why our fans are going "ape sh*t over Russell's contract since negotiations are an entire year away!

 

[Russ Willstrong]

A falcons fan wondering if our young underpaid qb will work for 1 dollar next year? I don't get it but my opinion is this is a stupid question considering he is already very marketable. He would undermine his value by agreeing to a 1 dollar salary. How marketable is a STUPID quarterback even if the union allowed this financial suicide.

 

[falcongoggles]

Now ask yourself - if he signed a contract for $1 and freed up all that cash for the team to be dominant for years, would he in the long-run earn more money from endorsements while also racking up more SB's?

Guaranteed money today or rolling the dice for being at the top of the greatest dynasty in history during the salary cap era as well as cash flowing out of your ears from endorsements ala Jordan?

I read part way down the thread and it appears most responders don't understand your premise, or just don't want to play in your sandbox. I love delving into economic hypothesis' and intelligent economic discussions in general, and your supposition intrigues me. :snack:

To play in this sandbox, one must throw out the, "you can't do that!" and "Russell deserves!" responses, as firmly entrenched in reality as they are, and deal in the hypothetical. Your what if scenario, though not the same type of comparison, is an argument the authors of Freakonomics would enjoy researching.

I don't have the time I'd like to really crunch the numbers, but off-hand, the answer to your question is a resounding YES.

The one response I read that holds the most merit in a discussion like this is the question of health. the NFL is a brutal game physically, and is the most significant wild card in your scenario. We could need to find a baseline to agree upon to account for Wilson's health variable, and the other variables; i.e. Carroll's age/health/longevity as coach, Schneider's willingness to remain in Seattle, assistant coaches and their influence on their respective units, the health of the other players, etc. But I digress.

A few quick examples of athletes who support my 'yes' and your hypothesis:

Peyton Manning
Tom Brady
Michael Jordan
Shaquille O'neal
Tiger Woods
David Beckham

Each of these athletes transcend(ed) their sports, and make the lion's share of their wealth from outside sources. Even if paid nothing in their respective sport, each far out-earn(ed) the majority of their peers. One can confidently say that without a history of winning success in the sports they play, they wouldn't have the levels of wealth that each has. It also takes the right combination of intangibles, and other than perhaps sounding robotic in his press conferences, Russell has those in spades. As good as Carroll and Schneider have been at evaluating talent and building phenomenal depth with players that most other teams ignored, having an additional 18-25 million per year in salary to offer to key free agents would tip the scales in our favor even more. Thus providing the best chance for sustained winning/success needed to bring the attention and compounded wealth Wilson's way.

:icon_new:

You need to scrap everyone but Brady and Manning from that list. It's misleading to include a guy like Beckham (42 million in endorsements in 2013). You need to look at how much the top contracts in football play vs. endorsements. American football players aren't a huge draw in other countries. Their endorsements are primary in the US, limiting their value.

Start with Manning. Estimated 12 Million in endorsements 2013 And 18 Million in his contract. Not exactly a Lions share in endorsements.
Brady's cap number is in the 13 to 15 million range a year due to a large singing bonus. Compare that to only 7 million in endorsements. Again, not a lions share in endorsement money (And this is a guy whose wife makes in the 42 million dollar range in 2013). Michael Vick who appeared to have endorsements all over the place was only getting 7 million a year before the dog-fighting scandal.

Wilson is going to get paid. I like the originality of the OP's idea, but football players do not make ridiculous endorsement money like athletes in other sports with international appeal and significantly longer careers. Their money comes from their contracts.

You two are the only ones who are understanding the question and for this I thank you. People we are talking freakonomics style insanity not taking a discount (which is discussed in another thread). Instead of calling people selfish, read the OP, smoke a joint, have a drink, open up your mind (you choose the order/number of items).

This would be a huge risk, but one that could immortalize Wilson as the winningest QB ever while rocketing his name among the largest in sports.

We have a whole offseason to ponder crazy things like this

 

[HansGruber]

It's an interesting question and debate. I wish some of the folks on this thread would just refrain from responding rather than litter the thread with outrage simply because they do not understand the premise. I get rather tired of all the wannabe mods and their faux outrage, sometimes.

Anyway...

Like others have said, it wouldn't work because NFL players just don't get the endorsement money like the NBA stars. It's quite odd, really. The NFL is vastly more popular than the NBA here in the USA, but as others have mentioned, the NBA has a worldwide market - especially in Asia.

Still though, it blows my mind that Jordan is still pulling in 8 figures on endorsements, while a QB with 5-6 Superbowl rings would struggle to earn that.

In that sense, I think Russell should get paid on both fronts as well. Make as much money as he can, because he's a good kid with a good head on his shoulders and he's going to put that money to good use.

And on a side-note: Russell is going to get paid whatever he asks. And I'll be popping the champagne when he signs that deal, regardless of the numbers.

 

[kobebryant]

I understand the point of what you're supposing.

But even given that; football players just do not come close to basketball players and golfers in terms of endorsement dollars. Cleats, gloves and footballs just don't sell like sneakers, shorts, tees, golf clubs and golf balls.

It would be borderline impossible for him to make up the 18-20 mil left on the table through endorsements.

But ya, it would be pretty shrewd if he were to say play for 10mil a year and then get 10mil from Boeing and Microsoft or something.

However, if he were to take anything substantially less (5mil+) than market value the NFLPA would be pissed. RW isn't one to ruffle feathers.

I want the man (and everyone else for that matter, and all of you on this forum, and all of my co-workers etc) to get every single penny they can.

 

[WilsonMVP]

This came up a week or two ago. Football players don't make as much money as you think on endorsements.

2013
Tom Brady made an estimated 7 million dollars in endorsements. Remember who he is married to. His Wife makes A LOT more money than him.
Aaron Rodgers: 6 million in endorsements
Joe Flacco: 850,000 in endorsements
Tony Romo 3 million in endorsements

There isn't enough money to make up the difference in the player's market value. QB's make a lot more money on contracts than they do endorsements.

http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap1000000210472

How is Romo making 3 million haha

 

[WilsonMVP]

Now ask yourself - if he signed a contract for $1 and freed up all that cash for the team to be dominant for years, would he in the long-run earn more money from endorsements while also racking up more SB's?

Guaranteed money today or rolling the dice for being at the top of the greatest dynasty in history during the salary cap era as well as cash flowing out of your ears from endorsements ala Jordan?

Fan perspective looks at ONLY what's best for the team, you would not think this way if YOU were signing the contract. Stop suggesting this people!

And I see zero scenario where a 5 mil contract + endorsements could be greater than 18 mil contract + endorsements. You're valuing taking a smaller contract at 10s of millions PER YEAR to make that more financially worth it for Russell.

The only way I see any level of discount is if the contract is 90% guaranteed dollars. I'm more than happy to be wrong on this, but I think it's wrong for fans to dream up scenarios to make it work, Russell deserves to be paid.

Suggestion would include me saying, "I think" or "he should" I just threw a question out there in the OP to generate conversation. Just to be clear, I think RW will sign an equitable contract with this team and I will have problem with it.

Have some imagination people, gracious

dude, you can't say you threw out a question to generate conversation and then complain when the conversation doesn't go your way.

FWIW, I get the premise. I think you kind of got slapped with the "silly homer" label when you started talking $1 contract and haven't really been able to recover, but the question remains; would it behoove Russell in the long run to not handicap the team by taking up the majority of the salary cap? Would Joe Flacco have been better off in the long run by taking a smaller contract and allowing the team to remain championship caliber? Probably not because Flacco sucks, but that's the general concept.

I do think you're onto something. Russell has the potential to generate real legitimate brand power, and taking less from his football contract to allow the team to stay competing in the salary cap era for multiple championships might make him more in the long run (would people have paid as much for Jordans if he missed the playoffs every year?). But like so many others have said; that's a gamble and football is an incredibly violent sport. It could all come to an end tomorrow. It's not a bad plan to take what's guaranteed when you can get it.

That also being said though, Russell doesn't strike me as the type of guy who is only about the money like Flacco was. I can see him possibly making some concessions on his contract (not $1 or league minimum kind of concessions) to keep the team competitive. He's too smart to completely hamstring himself with a bad supporting cast like that and I think he puts a pretty high priority on on-field success.

I think reality will wind up being somewhere in between the extreme ends of this debate. He's going to get Paid, but not in a way that instantly destroys the team. Russell is the long term future of this team and everyone knows it. So to that end, I can see something like an 8 year contract with a buttload of guaranteed money, with somewhat smaller cap hits year to year (or maybe tweaked to take a big hit when everyone else is set to take a smaller hit. Leave it to the capologist). That way Russ gets paid, Russ guarantees his family's future security (for generations likely), the team can remain competitive, Russ can be a huge success on the field and also build his brand. Wins all around.

That's my two cents anyhoo...

I hope if he does take less we give him ALOT of GUARANTEED money and a HUGE bonus because he deserves it

 

[WilsonMVP]

First and formost, there are certain league minimums, so Wilson would at least have to be paid that. That said the general notion of what the OP is suggesting is not completely insane. After all in very similiar circumstances Tom Brady delayed his payday (and there are other examples) to help his team continue to win. Here are some of my thoughts:

1) It's way to early to be talking about it. The Seahawks can't even discuss an extension until this time next year and a lot couple happen between now and then.

2) What the cap-hit of a contract is vs what the actual money paid can (and often are) two very different things when it comes to NFL contracts. I also think that given Wilson's notorious work-ethic (notoriously...dare I say...Peyton-like), Wilson and his agent may very well be willing to take a contract laden with "unlikely to be earned" incentives (that are in fact in his case likely to be earned), and I can even see him giving a discount to help keep everyone together.

3) I also think that Wilson's pay is going to go up significantly starting next year and there is no way the Seahawks will ever let him see free agency.

The going rate for SB winning QBs is about 20 million a year, but I could see Wilson agreeing to a contract for less than this. That said, if I were Pete and John, 20 million or so is what I'd budget for Wilson in the future.

One other factor: Watch the Niners. See if they extend Kaepernick and by how much.

Cam Newton is also eligible to be extended. I think we will see the market when these 2 get extended. If each make 15 million Wilson HAS to make at least that imo

 

[JKent82]

I wouldn't mind him taking a small hometown discount but I actually think I'd be annoyed if he somehow signed a league minimum contract just to afford other stars. I know the cap isn't there purely for competitive reasons but it would kind of violate the spirit of it for me. Players getting paid close to their market value keeps the league fair. It's seems a little NBAish to me.