Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson set a deadline. A new contract didn't need to really happen by April 15, but those were the terms set by the six-time Pro Bowler. His future with the franchise likely depended on it and the two sides agreed to a record-breaking deal just in the nick of time.
Throughout the past couple weeks, rumors swirled more than your favorite ice cream cone. Was a contract going to get done? Would Wilson play under a franchise tag for a couple of years or become a free agent? Is there a chance the 30-year-old signal caller leaves for another team? You name it, chances are it was discussed in the national media, but all of that got put to rest.
Speaking of rest, do you know how Russell Wilson decided to announce the contract extension getting done? He was laying in bed with his music star wife Ciara way after midnight local time and the middle of the night for most everyone else.
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This is not just your ordinary contract, either. Russell Wilson will soon be the highest-paid player in the entire NFL. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the 5-foot-11 star quarterback has agreed to a four-year, $140 million extension to keep him Seattle through the 2023 season.
The contract also includes a $65 million signing bonus and a no-trade clause from the Seahawks, which lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Game last season.
"Hey Seattle, we got a deal," Wilson said as he was about to turn the light off. "Go Hawks. But I'ma see y'all in the morning. Time for y'all to go to bed."
He didn't give away the terms of the contract, but we now know there's a big reason for Wilson, agent Mark Rodgers, the Seahawks franchise and the fans to celebrate.
Russell Wilson will make $19 million in 2019 to end the four-year, $87.6 million contract he signed in 2015, but the new deal he will get paid a NFL record $35 million for the four years after that. That's bigger than Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' four-year, $134 million deal, more per year than Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan's five-year $150 million contract and will definitely top New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
"To Mark Rodgers my agent & father figure... You believed in me 10 years ago when no one else would... Thanks for being who you are as a man and friend. You are the best in the game."
— Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson
A former third-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Wilson has certainly earned his stripes in the NFL over the years. After all, he's a Super Bowl-winning quarterback when his Seahawks defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. He's also completed 64 percent of his passes for over 25,000 passing yards with 196 passing touchdowns and 63 interceptions for a career passer rating of 100.4.
In other words, the former MLB Draft pick and NFL Rookie of the Year is good, and Wilson's contract full of brand new money is a reflection of his talents.
