The Seattle Seahawks are working on a contract extension with Russell Wilson and the sides are not currently close in talks and this comes as the team has considered a trade with Michael Bennett and Bruce Irvin this offseason while dealing with contract disputes and after the team has received some harsh criticism following the draft selection of Frank Clark.
Wilson and the Seahawks have been talking all offseason about a contract extension and after reports that a deal was close to getting done, new reports have the sides far apart. According to Pro Football Talk, the two sides are not close in contract talks and Danny O'Neil of 710 ESPN reports that there is a "four-year offer on the table", but that the two sides are "10s of millions" apart in the numbers for the deal. Wilson has been wildly successful in his young career, making it to two Super Bowls and winning one in three seasons.
The report says that the offer is for four years and close to $80 million and this comes as Wilson is looking for a deal around $120 million. Wilson has put out some "passive aggressive" tweets about the situation and ESPN writes that he has previously used his baseball contract as leverage in talks and that could come up again. Most in the NFL agree that a deal will get done, but clearly that is taking a while to happen.
Early in the offseason NFL.com reported that part of Wilson's salary could end up being guaranteed to help with cap hits moving forward. The Seahawks have been very lucky, as they have had Wilson on a four year deal with cap numbers less than $1 million for most of it and this year his salary is $1.542 million. Wilson doesn't put up numbers like Tom Brady, but all he does it win and now he wants to get paid like one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
The Seahawks have been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason regarding Michael Bennett and Bruce Irvin and both players have come up in connection with the Falcons. Dan Quinn is there after being the defensive coordinator for the Seahawks and that put on speculation that the players could be traded. According to Pro Football Talk, Irvin was mentioned in trade rumors during the draft and that came with his fifth year option not getting picked up by the team.
Pro Football Talk reported earlier in the offseason that Bennett wanted a trade, but now reports have him looking for a new contract and more money. According to Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports, Bennett was not at voluntary workouts for the team this offseason and that "he'd rather not be back in Seattle" this season. Bennett later was on the radio and said that he is looking for more money and not necessarily a trade. The team just picked Frank Clark, so the pass rushers should take notice.
Speaking of Frank Clark, the second round pick for the Seahawks is generating some controversy and some questions for the team. Clark was involved in an alleged domestic violence incident and while the Seahawks feel that Clark did not strike his girlfriend, reports from the incident and witness accounts are less clear. In this NFL, the Seahawks will get some major scrutiny for the pick.