The Seattle Seahawks have been working on a contract extension with Russell Wilson this offseason and talks are reportedly not close and he is not the only player with a dispute, Michael Bennett wants a new deal and a trade could go down if he holds out of camp and this comes as Frank Clark and Tyler Lockett are trying to make an impact and could push to start in OTA workouts.
The Seahawks came up just short in the Super Bowl last season and there is a chance that they could be even better this year by adding Jimmy Graham. The main priority this offseason is getting a deal done with Wilson, but right now it looks like it will not be happening soon. According to the Seattle Times, Wilson's agent said that he is "content" playing out his current deal and 710 ESPN reports that the sides are not close in negotiations.
Earlier in the offseason it appeared the two sides were about to agree, but reports later came out that a deal was not close to getting done. The ESPN report has the sides "10s of millions" apart in negotiations and that could keep the deal from getting done ahead of the season. There was talk in the offseason that part or all of the deal could be guaranteed to help keep the cap hits down on Wilson, but that has not come up at all recently. The Seahawks have reportedly offered four years and $80 million, while Wilson is looking for a deal in the $120 million range for his contract.
Michael Bennett is also dealing with a contract issue and he has been away from the team this offseason in the hopes of getting a deal. Bennett was mentioned in trade reports earlier in the offseason, but he said that he simply wants to get paid more on a new deal and he is not forcing a trade. According to CBS Sports, Bennett is planning to stay away from OTA workouts for the time being and he also could hold out for training camp this summer.
Both Bennett and Wilson's situations could be affected by news from other teams, as players at both their positions just signed lucrative extensions this week. Newton reportedly is signing a deal worth more than $100 million over five years on his extension and that will pay him around $20 million per season. That is what Wilson is looking for and the Newton deal could have an impact, while Cameron Jordan just signed a deal worth $60 million at defensive end. Andrew Luck is also in line for a new deal and what happens with Wilson could also have a major effect on him.
OTA workouts should give rookies like Frank Clark and Tyler Lockett the chance to prove themselves and they come in after signing their contracts last week. Lockett should battle with Kevin Norwood to get playing time moving forward and the Seahawks reportedly are interested in using him in special teams and on kick returns. Clark is coming in with some controversy, but with Bennett looking for more money, he could have the chance to step up and prove himself. Clark was a second round pick and he reportedly spent time at defensive end and at the tackle position in practice last week, according to Pro Football Talk.