Seahawks, Russell Wilson Agree To Extension
The Seahawks and Russell Wilson beat the buzzer. Just before the clock struck midnight on the quarterback’s extension deadline, the two sides agreed to a historic four-year, $140MM extension, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The deal, which includes a $65MM signing bonus, makes Wilson’s the NFL’s highest-paid player of all time. Wilson’s deal also includes a no-trade clause.
Wilson personally confirmed the extension in a Twitter video early Tuesday morning. The Seahawks have since announced the signing.
“Hey Seattle, we got a deal,” Wilson said while getting ready to go to sleep. “Go Hawks. But I’ma see y’all in the morning. Time for y’all to go to bed.”
The new pact, which gives him a record-breaking $35MM average annual salary, ties Wilson to Seattle through the 2023 season. His signing bonus of $65MM is also the largest in NFL history, shattering the previous high set by Aaron Rodgers‘ $57.5MM SB.
Wilson’s contract gives him an effective guarantee of $70MM with the first three years guaranteed for injury, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The deal also gives Wilson a favorable cash flow with $88MM over the first two years of the deal and $107MM over the first three years. All of that is guaranteed for injury, per Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter). Wilson has never missed a start in seven Seahawks seasons.
“We’re all really pleased that we were able to take the next step to stay together and keep this moving,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “Russ has been a huge factor in everything that has happened, and this allows us to stay on track with continuing to push to find that consistency.
“… Obviously this is a grand negotiation, and they had to figure it out. They had to figure it out, it has all been a part of the plan — they’ve known it was coming for years. The fact that they were able to make it happen and connect with Russ on his plan to really commit his future to the organization and to the fans and all — he has done that—that all had to be orchestrated, and John (Schneider) and (VP of football administration) Matt (Thomas) did an extraordinary job.”
Wilson is now under contract through his age-35 season. Before the deal, the Seahawks could have conceivably kept Wilson under club control through 2021 through the final year of his deal and a pair of franchise tags, but that would have been a costly (and chasm-causing) proposition.
Last year, Wilson set a new career high with 35 touchdown passes and matched his career low of seven touchdowns. He’ll turn 31 in November, but Wilson has shown no signs of slowing down.
With a new deal in place for their franchise QB, the Seahawks can turn their attention to other matters, including new deals for middle linebacker Bobby Wagner and pass rusher Frank Clark. However, the size of Wilson’s deal could be a barrier to costly long-term pacts for both defenders and a Clark trade remains possible.
Packers Claim K Sam Ficken
The Packers have claimed kicker Sam Ficken off of waivers from the Seahawks, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Ficken now appears poised to compete for the club’s kicking job alongside Mason Crosby. 
Ficken served as Greg Zuerlein‘s injury replacement, but the Rams cut him prior to Zuerlein recovering. Ficken’s brief trial period ended after he missed two of three field goal tries between Weeks 3 and 4.
Crosby, meanwhile, has been the Packers’ kicker since entering the league in 2007. On the whole, Crosby has been very solid, but he had some shaky moments last year, including four missed field goals in a 31-23 loss to the Lions in October.
For his career, Crosby has converted on 80.4% of his field goal tries and 98% of his extra point attempts.
NFL Draft Notes: Giants, Haskins, Metcalf
The Giants will host Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins on a top 30 visit on Monday and Tuesday, a source tells NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). After the G-Men brought out the big guns for Haskins’ Pro Day, chatter is building about the Giants possibly targeting the signal caller with the No. 6 overall pick.
Fully expected to become a top-10 pick, Haskins also met with the Broncos (No. 10) and the Redskins (No. 15) last week. The Giants appear to be well in range, but teams tend to move up and reach for stud QBs. The Giants also have the firepower necessary to move up for Oklahoma star Kyler Murray, but they may prefer to spread the wealth and address other areas instead, including the pass rush.
Here’s the latest NFL Draft buzz:
- Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf visited the Ravens on Monday, Rapoport tweets. Metcalf could give them a much-needed shot in the arm at WR, but it’s not a given that he’ll be available when they’re called to the podium at No. 22. For now, their WR consists of new addition Seth Roberts, Willie Snead, Chris Moore, and 2018 draft picks Jordan Lasley and Jaleel Scott.
- Speaking of the Ravens‘ WR need, they’ll host Oklahoma wide receiver Marquise Brown on Monday, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). This year, the Ravens are set to pick at No. 22 overall with no picks in the second round due to last year’s Lamar Jackson trade.
- More from Rapoport, who notes that Ohio State wide receiver Parris Campbell is visiting with the Bengals. Campbell is a very unlikely target for Cincinnati at No. 11 overall, but he could be a candidate for their second-round choice at No. 42. Last year, Campbell broke out with 90 catches for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns.
- Michigan defensive lineman Rashan Gary will huddle up with the Seahawks and Raiders this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.
- Arizona State wide receiver will meet with the N’Keal Harry 49ers on Monday before traveling to the Seahawks, Pelissero hears. Projections for Harry are all over the board, but he appears to be a late-first to early-second round type.
- Washington tackle Kaleb McGary will visit the Seahawks on Monday and the Falcons on Tuesday, Schefter hears (Twitter link). The Falcons’ No. 14 pick would probably be a bit high for McGary, who projects as a right tackle at the next level, but a trade-down scenario could bring him to Atlanta.
- The Patriots have done “extra pre-draft” work on Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham and Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson, both of whom visited recently (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Versatile Oklahoma offensive lineman Cody Ford spent Friday visiting with the Bengals, who pick No. 11 (Twitter link via Rapoport). Ford was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2018 and helped Oklahoma win Joe Moore Award, given to the country’s best offensive line.
Latest On Russell Wilson Contract Deadline
Russell Wilson‘s self-imposed deadline for a new contract with the Seahawks has arrived, and Wilson’s agent Mark Rodgers has been in Seattle for three days working on a deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, if Wilson and the Seahawks don’t negotiate a new pact by today, the star quarterback doesn’t plan to sign a long-term deal with Seattle at all, reports Peter King of NBC Sports.
As King reiterates, Wilson isn’t planning to hold off talks until 2020 if an extension isn’t agreed to on Monday. Instead, he doesn’t intend to ink any sort of new deal with Seattle if a long-term accord isn’t reached today. While it’s fair to wonder if Wilson’s April 15 deadline — and his reported declaration that he won’t negotiate after today — is all a tactic, it’s also possible that Wilson isn’t bluffing.
If a deal does get hammered out, it’s likely to include parameters that could increase Wilson’s salary based on outside factors, per King. Wilson’s earnings could potentially be tied to a rise in the NFL’s salary cap, or an increase in new league revenue sources such as gambling or television contracts. Aaron Rodgers reportedly asked for out clauses and/or other triggers during his negotiations with the Packers last summer, but neither he nor any other signal-caller has yet secured any sort of non-conventional deal.
The Seahawks weren’t blindsided by Wilson’s contract deadline, as he originally alerted Seattle to his schedule in January. As of last week, however, the two sides had still made very little progress in negotiations, and subsequent reports have indicated the Seahawks actually believe Wilson wants to play elsewhere, and will drive a harder bargain in Seattle than he would elsewhere. The Seahawks still control his rights through 2019, and can realistically retain him through 2021 via a series of franchise tags.
Wilson will be in attendance for the beginning of Seattle’s offseason program on Monday, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, so he could potentially take an active role in negotiating his new deal.
Latest On Frank Clark, Seahawks
It’s been well over a month since we heard that the Seahawks and defensive end Frank Clark were making progress in negotiating a long-term contract. Seattle put the franchise tag on Clark shortly thereafter, which gives the two sides until July 15 to work out a multi-year pact, and Clark said he would not report to training camp without a new deal in place.
DeMarcus Lawrence signed a five-year deal worth over $100MM with the Cowboys last week, and that appeared to provide a benchmark for talks between Seattle and Clark. But still, no news as of yet.
Jay Glazer of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that several teams were interested in trading for Clark at the outset of free agency, but he notes that there has been no trade chatter since then. Glazer adds that the Seahawks love Clark, and that unless the team is overwhelmed by a trade offer, Clark will remain with Seattle. Given Clark’s stance with respect to the franchise tag, it sounds as if he will be getting his big-money, long-term deal before July 15.
Clark, a 2015 second-round pick, has been a fixture in the team’s front seven since the 2016 campaign. In the last three years, he ranks seventh among NFL defensive linemen in sacks (32) and 10th in quarterbacks hits (66). Last season, Pro Football Focus graded Clark as the league’s No. 18 edge defender.
Once the April 15 “deadline” for a new contract with quarterback Russell Wilson passes, perhaps the Seahawks will shift their focus back to Clark.
Russell Wilson Wants To Leave Seahawks?
Tomorrow is tax day, and it’s also Russell Wilson‘s deadline for a new contract with the Seahawks. We have explored the dynamic between Wilson and Seattle at length over the past couple of weeks, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has now added a new wrinkle to the conversation.
Florio hears from a league source that the Seahawks believe Wilson wants to play elsewhere, and that Wilson will therefore drive a harder bargain with Seattle than he would with another club. Of course, Wilson is still under contract through the end of the 2019 campaign, and the Seahawks could realistically deploy the franchise tag in 2020 and 2021 if they so choose (and though Wilson could always change his mind, he has indicated he would not hold out if he is hit with the franchise tag).
But as Florio observes, it remains unclear whether Seattle wants to commit to the kind of money that Wilson would earn under the franchise tag or the amount he would demand under a multi-year extension. And if he is willing to take a little less to play with another club — like the Giants, who have been rumored as a potential destination for some time — then it would become easier for the Seahawks to deal Wilson under a tag-and-trade scenario (interestingly, new Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu, whose respect for Wilson is well-known, tweeted a response to Florio’s piece that said, “Russ wants New York”).
This could just be the type of pie-in-the-sky rumor that frequently shrouds negotiations with star players. It is still eminently possible that Wilson and the Seahawks hammer out a third contract, or that the two sides roll with the franchise tag for at least the 2020 season, and maybe 2021 (the franchise tag number for 2022 is much too rich to be feasible).
Nonetheless, it is still interesting to ponder, especially considering the juggernaut that the Seahawks were able to build when Wilson was playing under his rookie contract. If they can land some high-level draft capital for Wilson next offseason, then they may be able to put together that type of roster again in short order.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/12/19
Here are today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: Afolabi Laguda
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Daniel Brunskill
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: K Sam Ficken, LB Emmanuel Beal
Patriots To Sign TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins
The Patriots have agreed to sign tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins to a one-year deal, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. 
The pact is worth the veteran minimum salary, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds ASJ chose New England over the Seahawks. Seferian-Jenkins received a $50K signing bonus and can earn another $40K in additional bonuses, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.
New England is facing the overwhelming task of replacing All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski, who retired late last month. Seferian-Jenkins, clearly, isn’t Gronk, but he’ll give the Patriots another option on a tight end depth chart that also includes Jacob Hollister, Stephen Anderson, Ryan Izzo, and free agent addition Matt LaCosse.
A former second-round pick, Seferian-Jenkins floundered until joining the Jets midway through the 2016 campaign. In 2017, ASJ started 10 games for New York, posting 50 receptions for 357 yards (both career-highs) and three touchdowns. That performance earned him a two-year $10MM deal with the Jaguars.
Seferian-Jenkins’ season with Jacksonville wasn’t a success, as he appeared in only five games before landing on injured reserve. ASJ posted only 11 total receptions and ranked as one of the NFL’s least efficient tight ends, per Football Outsiders. On the positive side, Pro Football Focus did grade Seferian-Jenkins as a top-11 run-blocker at his position.
Given the low level of the Patriots’ contractual commitment, signing Seferian-Jenkins shouldn’t rule out another tight end addition in New England. Several draft prospects — including Iowa’s Noah Fant and Alabama’s Irv Smith Jr. — have been popularly mocked to the Patriots.
Seahawks To Host L.J. Collier
- TCU defensive end L.J. Collier is meeting with the Lions, Eagles, and Seahawks, per Rapoport (Twitter link), who adds Collier is “quietly pushing” to become a first-round pick. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com currently ranks Collier as the No. 45 prospect, noting that while he isn’t an “elite bender,” Collier has the ability to play both inside and on the edge. In his senior season with TCU, Collier posted six sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss in 11 games.
Workout Updates: 4/7/19
Here are today’s workout/visit updates:
Minnesota Vikings
- WR Jordan Taylor (will visit Monday, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter)
Seattle Seahawks
- OL Ulrick John (will visit on Friday, as Wilson tweets)
- WR Jordan Taylor (will visit Wednesday, per Wilson)