The Seattle Seahawks and Russell Wilson have not been able to reach agreement on a contract extension and the quarterback may stop negotiations once training camp starts and that would put Wilson in line to be a free agent after the season and his future in Seattle could be up in the air, although the franchise tag is always an option for the Hawks.
Wilson and the Seahawks have been talking all offseason and so far reports have the sides not close on an agreement. Wilson wants to be one of the highest paid players in football and the Seahawks have balked on giving him a contract that high. According to reporter Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Wilson will stop contract talks once training camp opens this summer, as he "wants to focus" on the upcoming season without any distractions.
While the media likely will ask constantly about the contract situation even if the talks stop, Wilson likely will not make any comments on it once the negotiations end. Wilson has been asked quite a bit this summer about contract talks and he has taken a laid back approach, talking about his baseball career and the potential of winning more Super Bowls. This season Wilson will be making $1.54 million and this comes after he has been a six figure cap hit for the Seahawks for a few years.
Wilson's results have been fantastic over his first three years, as he has been to the playoffs in each year that he has started in his career. Wilson won the Super Bowl in Year 2 and he took his team to another in Year 3. Now at 26 he is set to be a free agent and the franchise tag is the most likely outcome if the two sides do not agree on a contract. The Seahawks open camp on July 30 and that gives the two sides a couple more weeks to get closer on a deal.
Earlier in the offseason it was reported that Wilson may look for a fully guaranteed contract, but that has not had any movement as of late. Pro Football talk reported last week that the Seahawks and Wilson "were not close" on a new contract and NFL.com reports that Wilson "be paid as if he was a free agent." This could force the Seahawks to make a tough decision, as Wilson clearly wants to get his money, but the team may not value him in the same way the QB values himself.
Wilson has not missed a game in three seasons and he has put up more passing yards in each season and has decreased his interceptions. Wilson had 20 TD passes this season, which was down from 26 in each for his first two years, but he has completed 63 percent of his passes each of the past two seasons and he also rushed for six scores last year. Wilson has a wining pedigree and he has been excellent in the first three years in the league and now he is looking to score a major contract.