Russell Wilson

Funding Rule Holding Up Russell Wilson Deal?

June 27th, 2015 at 2:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

We’ve heard plenty this week on the status of a long-term extension between the Seahawks and Russell Wilson, but today introduced another element into this process.

Multiple sources informed Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio of Wilson seeking a larger-than-usual portion of his next contract to be fully guaranteed, and the NFL’s funding rule could be impeding these proceedings. For teams to provide guarantees to players for skill, cap and injury purposes, all of that guarantee is not due upon signing, but must be placed into an escrow account immediately. The issue, according to Florio, is Seahawks owner Paul Allen being reluctant to agree to this stipulation.

Designed to protect players from owners who don’t have the cash to make the future payments, the funding rule wouldn’t seem to play a key component in Wilson’s pursuit of a lofty second deal. Allen is the league’s richest owner by a massive margin, checking in at No. 51 on Forbes’ world billionaires list with a net worth of $17.5 billion. He is the only NFL owner in the top 200; Dolphins boss Stephen Ross‘ $6.5 billion warchest sits at 216th, which is in the neighborhood of several of his contemporaries.

Florio adds that it’s unclear why Allen is reluctant in this case due to his fortune, but that one reason could be a collusion attempt on the owners’ part to avoid widespread fully guaranteed contracts across the league like the ones doled out in the NBA and Major League Baseball. It’s one of the NFL’s shortcomings fully guaranteed deals don’t exist like they do in the aforementioned, and far safer, disciplines, creating a sharper wedge between labor and management.

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes the stakes in Wilson’s deal are rising and now are beginning to represent more than what is best for merely the Seahawks or Wilson. It could be a seminal negotiation that shapes how the players formulate their plan for when the next CBA talks emerge at the dawn of the 2020s. Mark Rodgers, Wilson’s agent, has primarily baseball ties after once negotiated former Rockies pitcher Mike Hampton’s then-record deal worth eight years and $121MM in 2000, and Condotta views this background as to why Wilson’s camp is taking this stance on guaranteed money.

As of now, Wilson will play this season as the league’s 44th-highest-paid signal-caller at a $1.67MM cap number, behind the likes of Johnny Manziel, Drew Stanton and Shaun Hill. This will almost certainly be the last year Wilson’s in this minuscule NFL tax bracket, and the fourth-year quarterback’s chances of staying in Seattle remain high. But this saga continues to unearth nuances that suggest the Seahawks view Wilson’s accomplishments perhaps much differently than his camp does.

Russell Wilson Rumors: Friday

June 26th, 2015 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

On Thursday, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) reported that Russell Wilson is aiming to become the NFL’s highest-paid player, seeking a new contract that surpasses the five-year, $110MM extension signed by Aaron Rodgers in 2013. According to Cole, agent Mark Rodgers didn’t dispute that idea when asked about it; as I noted in Thursday’s Community Tailgate post, such a demand isn’t outlandish, given the rate at which the salary cap is rising.

Cole and a couple other NFL scribes have weighed in again on the Wilson situation today, so let’s round up the latest….

Wilson’s demands aren’t so much about his worth as they are about his leverage and how difficult it would be to replace him, tweets Cole. While the quarterback has some leverage, I’d argue that the team still has plenty as well, since Seattle could keep Wilson under team control through the 2017 season by using the franchise tag twice.
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, one of the first reporters to suggest that Wilson might play out the 2015 season without a new contract in place, says that possibility has become “more generally recognized as a likelihood, if not an inevitability.” Per La Canfora, Wilson will likely remain steadfast in his desire for a significant chunk of guaranteed money, while the Seahawks will continue to offer a deal with a more team-friendly structure.
There’s no hard deadline for Wilson’s extension talks, but if the two sides don’t reach an accord by the time training camp begins, there’s a good chance the Pro Bowl QB will decide to shelve the issue until after the season, writes La Canfora.
La Canfora speculates that if the Seahawks use a franchise tag on Wilson in 2016, it will be the exclusive tag, which wouldn’t allow him to negotiate with other teams. However, if Wilson and his agent get the opportunity to talk to other suitors, there could be about 10 teams with real interest, says La Canfora. The entire CBSSports.com piece is worth checking out, as La Canfora takes a comprehensive look at the situation.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also engages in some speculation after speaking to several sources, tweeting that he believes Wilson will be playing for a new team in 2016. In a follow-up tweet, Florio explains that he thinks the Seahawks will use the non-exclusive franchise tag on Wilson and another team will sign the QB to an offer sheet Seattle won’t match. If that were to happen, Wilson’s new club would have to give up two first-round picks to land him.

Community Tailgate: Russell Wilson’s Contract

June 25th, 2015 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re still a few months away from the start of battles on the NFL gridiron, but there’s no offseason when it comes to debate amongst fans. This week, we’ve launched a new series here at PFR that will be known as the Community Tailgate. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

Today, we’re taking a look at what has been one of the biggest ongoing stories of the offseason: Russell Wilson‘s future in Seattle. Wilson and the Seahawks have discussed a contract extension as the Pro Bowler enters the final year of his rookie deal, but no agreement is imminent, and there’s a growing sense that Wilson is willing to play out the 2015 season without a new contract in place.

Earlier today, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) indicated that agent Mark Rodgers is looking to make his client the NFL’s highest-paid player, attempting to surpass the five-year, $110MM deal signed by Aaron Rogers in 2013. According to Cole, Wilson’s agent believes that quarterback contracts will “explode” in the near future, with Andrew Luck, Eli Manning, and Rodgers (again) exceeding $22MM per year on their next contracts as well.

It would be a challenge to make a case that Wilson is a better NFL quarterback than Rodgers, but he doesn’t necessarily have to be better to land a contract that exceeds Rodgers’ deal with Green Bay. After all, the salary cap has risen by nearly $20MM since Rodgers signed his extension, and it’s poised to continue growing next year. When Rodgers landed a $22MM annual salary, that amount represented nearly 18% of the 2013 cap. That same percentage of 2015’s salary cap would work out to a per-year salary of about $25.63MM.

Of course, just because Wilson and his agent believe his value exceeds $22MM annually, that doesn’t mean the Seahawks agree, or that the team has to meet those salary demands. Seattle could hold off on an extension, with the option of using the franchise tag in each of the next two years to keep Wilson off the free agent market.

We want to hear your thoughts on these contract negotiations. Should the Seahawks make Wilson the NFL’s highest-paid player? Or should the team balk at his reported asking price, going year-to-year and perhaps eventually letting him walk instead? Jump into the comment section below to voice your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to hearing what you have to say.

NFC Notes: Wilson, Cowboys, Galette

June 22nd, 2015 at 9:21pm CST by Zachary Links

In an interview with North Carolina’s 99.9 The Fan (audio link), quarterback Russell Wilson may have given an indication that he’s comfortable with moving on to a new team if necessary.

“At the end of the day I trust the process,” Wilson said. “I know God’s going to take me and put me where he wants to have me. I hope that’s Seattle. I love it there, it’s a great place. But I’ve also gone through the ups and downs and been moved around before. I loved N.C. State and loved playing there and then having to go somewhere else [Wisconsin] and start new.”

Later on, Wilson said that he hopes that things will work out with the Seahawks. As the two sides continue to wrestle with what appears to be a sizable gap, however, that’s far from a certainty. Here’s more from the NFC..

The Cowboys‘ stable of running backs has the unenviable job of trying to replace the production of DeMarco Murray this season. Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News has run down all of the candidates to step up and replace last year’s rushing leader in a five part series, ending today with a glance at Joseph randle. Randle was arrested twice in a four-month period, dating back to last October. Despite his questionable judgement off the field, he’s arguably Dallas’ best option on the field now that Murray is suiting up for a divisional rival.
The Saints have a tough decision to make. On one hand, they’re probably eager to rid themselves of Junior Galette in the wake of the most recent allegations against him. On the other hand, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes, they’d face a big cap hit if they cut him. If the Saints drop Galette, they’d keep his cap number at $5.45MM for 2015 while dealing with $12.1MM in dead money against next year’s cap.
Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams believes that the Rams D has a chance to be special thanks in part to some new faces, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.

Klemko On Heyward, Brady, Mathis, Wilson

June 22nd, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

With Peter King taking his summer vacation, Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com stepped in this week to publish the latest Monday Morning Quarterback column, and his piece includes a number of interesting tidbits, including an explanation for why teams ought to attempt two-point conversions more often now that the extra-point kick has been moved back. Here are a handful of other notable items from Klemko’s piece:

Cameron Heyward is entering the final year of his contract, and is negotiating an extension with the Steelers, though he says he’d rather not think about his contract situation. The defensive lineman tells Klemko that he thinks he can play better than he did in 2014, when he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ sixth-best 3-4 defensive end. “I hope last year wasn’t a breakout season because I think I can achieve way more,” Heyward said. “I still have a mentality where I think of myself as a bust. I’ve got to prove everybody wrong including myself. I want to get better, and I want to shut people up.”
Tom Brady‘s camp will call many of the witnesses central to the AEI report – which criticized the Ted Wells report – to testify during the Patriots‘ signal-caller’s appeal, a source tells Klemko. As Klemko points out, Brady and the NFLPA could file a lawsuit in federal court after the appeal process is complete, challenging Roger Goodell for violating due process by declining to recuse himself as arbitrator. However, Klemko thinks that Brady’s four-game ban will be reduced to a one-game suspension, and the QB will forgo legal action to put the issue to rest.
Klemko hears that 10 teams are interested in Evan Mathis, which echoes what agent Drew Rosenhaus said last week. The MMQB.com scribe views the Dolphins as the favorite for the Pro Bowl guard, who may have drawn interest from even more teams if he had reached the open market sooner.
Based on the numbers Klemko is hearing out of the Russell Wilson extension talks, he believes the team and the player are divided on the QB’s value. Klemko predicts that the Seahawks will ultimately franchise Wilson after the 2015 season, then perhaps let him walk a year later.
Klemko disagrees with Titans GM Ruston Webster, who said last week that he wouldn’t be concerned if Marcus Mariota misses the first few days of training camp while the two sides finalize his rookie contract. As Klemko writes, that may be fine for a defensive tackle or safety, but a rookie quarterback – who is expected to start – needs all the training camp reps he can get. I’m inclined to agree that Webster’s comments are “a bad attempt to gain leverage” — there’s really no reason the Titans shouldn’t be able to agree to terms within the next few weeks.

Extra Points: Moffitt, Irvin, Wilson, Bills

June 19th, 2015 at 1:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent offensive guard John Moffitt could have suitors in the Eagles, Dolphins, Buccaneers, Jets and Texans, tweets Ross Jones of FoxSports.com. Moffitt announced earlier this week that he was coming out of a two-year retirement. The Broncos subsequently cut the 28-year-old and he cleared waivers on Thursday, per Jones (Twitter link ), making him available to sign anywhere.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the NFL….

Talking to the media on Thursday, Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin insisted that he wants to remain in Seattle and that his comments about wanting to go to Atlanta were “misinterpreted,” tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. According to Condotta (Twitter links), Irvin added that he’ll be extra motivated in 2015 after the team chose not to exercise his 2016 option, and that his contract situation will take care of itself.
Speaking of Seahawks players entering contract years, the team’s most notable extension candidate, Russell Wilson, was fairly noncommittal when addressing his situation on Thursday, indicating that he remains optimistic about getting something done. Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune has the details and the quotes.
The Bills formally announced a number of changes within their player personnel department, most notably promoting Rob Hanrahan to director of pro peronnel and Kevin Meganck to director of football operations.
Browns rookie Cameron Erving will likely begin his career at right guard and compete with John Greco for the starting job, offensive coordinator John DeFilippo told Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Erving, the 19th pick in this year’s draft, played offensive tackle and center during his career at Florida State. He’s expected to be a long-term option at center for Cleveland, which could lose starter Alex Mack to free agency next offseason.
Second-year Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson is looking to build on a rookie campaign that saw him total an impressive 48 receptions in 10 games. So far, so good, says Jags quarterback Blake Bortles. “He’s been unbelievable,” Bortles said of Robinson’s showing at minicamp, according to Mark Long of the Associated Press. “He’s definitely a threat now in the red zone. … He’s physical. He can run and do everything out in the open field, so he’s been fun to throw to.“

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

West Notes: Foles, Gates, Chargers, Chiefs

June 16th, 2015 at 9:26pm CST by Zachary Links

At this point, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links) is much more bullish on Bobby Wagner reaching a new deal with the Seahawks than Russell Wilson doing the same. The linebacker is seeking a deal in the range of $10MM per season and Seattle’s evaluation of him likely isn’t far off from that. Wagner, who will turn 25 near the end of this month,graded out as fifth out of 60 qualified inside linebackers according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Earlier this month, the two sides began talks on a new deal. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC West..

Rams coach Jeff Fisher acknowledged that the club has engaged in contract discussions with quarterback Nick Foles, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports (on Twitter). Earlier today, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reported that the quarterback loves being in St. Louis, but he’ll let agent David Dunn handle negotiations. The Rams are also talking to a few other potential 2016 free agents about new contracts, so it doesn’t sound like they’re focused exclusively on Foles.
Antonio Gates, the Chargers‘ all-time leader in catches, receiving yardage, and touchdowns, isn’t thinking about retirement after this season, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego writes. “As you get older, people say things,” Gates said. “They make speculations about where you’re going, about how much you have in the tank. To me, it’s all about how I feel as a person, how my body feels physically and mentally. As of right now, I feel great physically. I’m in a great place mentally. So, we’ll see how it goes. I have no expectations for how long I’ll play or if this is my last year. Right now, my main focus is just being around the guys … and working to bring a championship here to San Diego.”
Kealoha Pilares (WR, Hawaii), Kenneth Penny (CB, UNLV), and Derek Dennis (G, Temple) were at Kansas City’s minicamp today to try out for the Chiefs, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.

Russell Wilson Has Insurance Policy For Season

June 16th, 2015 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Russell Wilson will earn a modest base salary of just $1.542MM in 2015 if he doesn’t sign an extension with the Seahawks, but the quarterback will protect himself against a potential career-ending injury with an insurance policy worth “millions,” according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

Such a policy would be expensive for Wilson in the short term, but would provide a safety net if he were to suffer a major injury during the 2015 season. Based on his performance over the first three years of his NFL career, Wilson appears to be a lock to secure a huge, multiyear deal eventually, barring either an unprecedented dropoff in performance or the aforementioned career-threatening injury. An insurance policy would protect him against the latter, but not the former.

Of course, Schefter’s wording doesn’t make it unequivocally clear if Wilson has already taken out this policy, or if he simply intends to do so. With contract negotiations between Wilson’s camp and the Seahawks still expected to take place between now and the start of the regular season, this report provides another another signal that the Pro Bowler is willing to play out the 2015 campaign without a new extension in place, which could prompt the team to renew its efforts to get something done.

If Wilson were to play the 2015 season under his current deal, he wouldn’t necessarily be able to hit free agency in 2016, since the Seahawks would be able to use their franchise tag to retain him. However, the club can only franchise one player, and Wilson isn’t the only key free-agent-to-be the Seahawks will want to lock up — Bobby Wagner is also entering the final year of his contract. Additionally, using the exclusive tag on Wilson would be rather pricey, and would take up a huge chunk of the team’s cap room. Those cap hits could be better managed with a longer-term agreement.

West Rumors: Wilson, Manning, Berry

June 14th, 2015 at 11:26am CST by Sam Robinson

With talks between the Seahawks and Russell Wilson on the fourth-year quarterback’s second contract at a standstill, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times looks at why that’s the case.

One factor, Condotta points out, for the offseason impasse is how Seattle operates offensively. In Wilson, who rated as Pro Football Focus’ 13th-best quarterback last season, leading a run-heavy attack with a perennially menacing defense acting as a safety net, the team may view a player whose potential for growth beyond the lofty heights to which he’s already ascended is limited based on what he’s asked to do.

“That could be a consideration from Seattle, at least currently, as to why they have not offered a top-of-the-market contract just yet,’’ OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald told Condotta. “When you look at some of the contracts they have offered — whether it was Marshawn Lynch, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Percy Harvin and so on — cost was never an issue.

“ … The fact that they are not doing the same for Wilson could indicate that they feel what you see now is his ceiling and there is no more upside.”

As Condotta points out, Wilson’s 96.8 career passer rating ranks behind only Aaron Rodgers among active quarterbacks, so the Seahawks’ reported four-year, $87MM offer won’t cut it when the Super Bowl-winning signal-caller, due to make the 44th-most money ($1.5MM) among quarterbacks this season, has outperformed his rookie deal to this degree. And the lack of urgency for the 2016 free agent, a label that’s pretty insignificant at this point since Wilson is highly unlikely to have that option any time soon, could work in his favor.

“Whenever you have a good-to-great player, the longer you wait, the more it’s going to cost you,” CBSSports.com’s Joel Corry told Condotta.

Let’s look at some other Sunday news items from the Western NFL locales.

Mired in a battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphomy, Chiefs Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry “looks really good,” Travis Kelce noted after helping out with one of Berry’s youth camps recently, reports Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star. The sixth-year safety who remains without a return timetable was reportedly fully engaged in the camp’s operation.
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post looks at Peyton Manning‘s status entering his age-39 season a tanner, fitter player. The Broncos future Hall of Famer’s legendary work ethic’s seeped into his latest challenge, with Cody Latimer noting how in tune Manning already was with new coach Gary Kubiak‘s playbook when the 2014 second-round pick participated at Manning’s Duke camp. Kubiak’s system, while new to Manning, doesn’t quite have the nuances of his previous setup, possibly accelerating this learning curve.

Poll: Which QB Will Sign Extension Next?

June 10th, 2015 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of starting quarterbacks signed long-term extensions with their clubs in recent weeks, as the Dolphins and Panthers locked up Ryan Tannehill and Cam Newton respectively. With Ben Roethlisberger signing a multiyear deal of his own with the Steelers back in March, a few of the signal-callers we expected to see extended this offseason have already taken care of business.

Several more notable quarterbacks are still without new deals though, and are seemingly preparing to enter the final year of their respective contracts without an extension in place. Of course, we still have about three months until the regular season gets underway, so there’s plenty of time between now and then for these QBs to work out agreements with their teams.

Sam Bradford and Nick Foles are among the quarterbacks whose contracts expire after the 2015 season, but neither player is a top-tier NFL starter, and both Bradford and Foles are coming off significant injuries that shortened their 2014 seasons. So while they may sign extensions at some point, we’re not including them in this discussion, since they’re not quite in the same class as a few other contract-year QBs.

We’ll also remove Andrew Luck from this conversation, since the Colts have explicitly stated that they don’t intend to negotiate an extension with the former No. 1 pick until 2016. Like Tannehill, Luck was a first-round pick in 2012, which makes him eligible for an extension now, but since Indianapolis holds a fifth-year option for the ’16 season, there’s no rush for the team to get something done.

That leaves us with three top quarterbacks entering contract years: Russell Wilson, Philip Rivers, and Eli Manning. Like Roethlisberger, Rivers and Manning are each in the final year of a veteran contract. However, Rivers seems somewhat hesitant about re-upping with the Chargers given the uncertain future of the franchise, which resulted in some trade rumors earlier in the offseason. It doesn’t appear that Rivers is going anywhere, but the two sides don’t seem to be close to an extension either, despite some optimism from the Bolts.

As for Manning, we heard earlier this week that contract talks between the two-time Super Bowl MVP and the Giants haven’t begun yet, and he’s not sure when they will. The latest report on the situation suggests that the club may be willing to wait until after the season, with Manning using the 2015 campaign to prove his worth once more.

Wilson, meanwhile, is coming off a rookie contract, which perhaps makes his situation the trickiest of the three. Having built a talented roster around Wilson, the Seahawks are now facing the possibility of their quarterback’s cap hit jumping from the $1MM range to something much, much higher. So far, the two sides are at an impasse, and by all accounts, Wilson is willing to play out the 2015 season and force Seattle to use the franchise tag if he feels like he’s being low-balled by the team in extension discussions.

It’s possible that all three of these quarterbacks will head into the 2015 regular season without having signed new contracts, but I’d be surprised if that were the case. What do you think? Which of these three Pro Bowl quarterbacks will extend his contract with his current team first?

Load More Posts