Russell Wilson had one of his best seasons as a quarterback last year with the Seattle Seahawks and the team will be rewarding him with a $65 million signing bonus and a $140 million contract extension, which will make Wilson the highest-paid QB in the NFL at $35 million per season.
The signing bonus and annual salary by Wilson eclipses the previous records held by Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers’ deal included a $57.5 million bonus with an annual salary of $33.5 million.
When Wilson, 30, signed his last contract, the Seahawks made him the highest-paid QB in the league. Last season, Wilson’s salary put him as the 12th highest paid QB. Wilson, who turns 31 at the end of November, will earn $19 million in 2019.
Russell Wilson imposed a staunch deadline, set for Monday night at Midnight, and both sides reached an agreement late into the night. His agent arrived in Seattle on Friday night and worked diligently over the last four days to secure his client the richest-contract for a QB in the NFL.
Wilson, while lying in bed with his wife, posted the good news with a video at 12:44am PT on his Twitter feed.
“Hey Seattle, we got a deal. Go Hawks,” said Wilson. “See y’all in the morning. Time for y’all to go to bed.”
SEATTLE. Let’s get it. @Seahawks #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/xeWnEnUzmR
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) April 16, 2019
New York Rumors
The New York Giants have been a team in flux the last few years. They have been waiting for Eli Manning to retire, while scrambling to find a replacement. The Giants are keen on Ohio State’s Dwyane Haskins and considered trading up in the draft to snatch him up.
Over the last couple of weeks, rumors began to percolate in the NYC area that Russell Wilson was interested in going to New York. The Jets already have a young quarterback, Sam Darnold, that they even hired a new coach to specifically mentor him. That meant the NY Giants were the only other choice for Wilson.
Wilson’s wife, Ciara, is also a huge fan of New York. It would make sense someone of her singing caliber would want to live in the “city that never sleeps”.
Looks like the Giants were just a prop. They were used to sweeten the deal for Wilson. For now, Eli Manning is still the Giants quarterback and Wilson will be laughing all the way to the bank.
Heck of a 2018
Wilson led the Seahawks to a 10-6 record and a Wild Card berth. He posted numbers in 2018 that makes fantasy nerds drool. Wilson threw 35 touchdowns with 7 interceptions and a 110.9 passer rating.
Only two other QBs had a higher rating than Wilson last season. If you guess Patrick Mahomes and Drew Brees, you were correct. If you compared Seattle’s WR corps versus the guys in Kansas City and New Orleans, it’s sort of a joke. Wilson pulled off an efficient year without throwing to the best receivers in the league.
On the flip side, the Seahawks had one of the best rushing attacks in the league. During a year when the majority of the pass-happy league lit it up on the scoreboard, the Seahawks looked like a throwback team that ran first and passed only when necessary.
Wilson tied a career-low in interceptions with seven picks. Then again, he threw a career-low pass attempts (427). Wilson will be 35 at the end of his latest contract extension. Tom Brady won a Super Bowl at 41 and Old-Man Brady expressed his interest in playing for several more seasons.
