The Seattle Seahawks have Russell Wilson coming into the final year of his contract and the team likely will try and get an extension done soon and this comes after the team re-signed Marshawn Lynch and traded for Jimmy Graham and now Wilson could end up as the highest player on the team and heading into the draft, players like Todd Gurley, Breshad Perriman and Tevin Coleman could be targets.
Wilson has gone to back to back Super Bowl games over the past two years, but he is on his rookie contract and has been a small percentage of the salary cap for the Seahawks. The team has been able to build a championship roster around Wilson because of that and now he is heading into the final year of his deal. Earlier in the offseason NFL.com reported that Wilson could get close to a fully guaranteed contract, which would help keep the salary cap numbers down for his deal.
Wilson has been a winner since taking over as the starter for the Seahawks, leading the team to three straight playoff appearances and a championship. Wilson may not put up numbers like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but he has played well enough to get a major contract and he could end up as one of the highest paid players in football. Unlike Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, Wilson doesn't have a fifth year option because he was a third round pick and that means he could get signed before those two get new deals.
According to ESPN reporter Terry Blount, the Seahawks and Wilson have been talking about a new deal and could be getting close to an agreement. That was reported last week, but following that news, Pro Football Talk reported that Wilson and the Seahawks are not close to deal and have "not even started" talking yet. Wilson is in line to get paid and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports he could be the highest paid quarterback in the league once a deal is reached.
Mike Freeman at Bleacher Report writes that the Seahawks should look at getting a long term deal done as soon as possible rather than waiting. Freeman writes that locking Wilson in on a deal should be a main priority, as the team has been wildly successful with Wilson, going 22-2 at home during his time as the starter and dragging things out could end up hurting things down the road. The Seahawks are prepared to pay and owner Paul Allen is one of the richest in the league.
The Seahawks are coming into the draft with 11 picks this season after getting four compensatory picks and they will also be without a first round pick after trading it to acquire Jimmy Graham. The team has a number of areas they could look at in the draft, including running back, linebacker and wide receiver. Mel Kiper listed Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, Tevin Coleman and TJ Yeldon as potential draft targets at RB, while wide receiver Breshad Perriman from UCF could also be an option.
The Seahawks got rid of Percy Harvin last year and while they drafted two WRs last season in Paul Richardson and Kevin Norwood, they could use more depth. Perriman comes in after making 50 catches for over 1000 yards last season and he has solid side at 6-foot-2, 212-pounds.