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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Brewer: Russell Wilson an elite QB who deserves elite pay

Including signing bonus, Seahawks’ Russell Wilson has earned a little less than $2.2 million his first three seasons. (Associated Press)
Jerry Brewer Seattle Times

As Russell Wilson and the Seahawks prepare to take their relationship to the next financial level, there’s a fear about the young franchise quarterback that belies his popularity.

Wilson is beloved, but fans still worry he’s about to negotiate a new deal that eventually will spell the end of the Seahawks as a championship squad. The concern is so great that many have delusions of Wilson proving how much he wants to win by taking a team-friendly deal.

While the anxiety is understandable, this is neither a new situation for dominant NFL teams nor an insurmountable obstacle. It’s actually a wonderful thing because, if the Seahawks want to win for a long time, Wilson is the most important person in the organization. And it’s definitely the fair thing because, after an unprecedented first three seasons, Wilson deserves to be paid like the elite quarterback he has become.

You want him to take a hometown discount? Well, has there ever been a bigger discount for what he has done to this point?

Wilson had a base salary of $390,000 as a rookie in 2012, and he made the Pro Bowl and helped the Seahawks advance to the NFC divisional playoff round, where he threw for 385 yards and ran for another 60 against Atlanta, nearly leading Seattle to the NFC title game.

In 2013, he made $526,217, made the Pro Bowl again and led the Seahawks to their first championship. This past season, he made $662,434, and though he didn’t make the Pro Bowl, he helped the team return to the Super Bowl while establishing career highs with 3,475 passing yards and 849 rushing yards.

Wilson has been one of the greatest bargains in sports history. Never has a third-round draft pick been this successful, this early, playing this position. Include the signing bonus on his rookie contract, and Wilson has earned a little less than $2.2 million his first three seasons. The Seahawks once paid Charlie Whitehurst nearly four times that, and he appeared in just nine games.

The easily-mocked Whitehurst deal came during a period in which general manager John Schneider and coach/executive vice president Pete Carroll were making attempts to find a long-term quarterback. It’s the most difficult thing to do. As Seahawks assistant head coach Tom Cable said recently, “There are really only about six to eight really good quarterbacks in football. So what are the other 24 teams doing? They’re pretending, in my opinion.”

Cable says Wilson is among the few elite quarterbacks. The Seahawks don’t have to pretend. They just have to commit.

Wilson is eligible to have his contract extended this offseason, and he is expected to command a salary in the range of $20 million per season. He’ll soon be one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. He might even wind up as the highest paid.

Schneider acknowledges that building a championship roster will become more difficult after the Wilson deal.

The Seahawks will need to be creative in structuring it, and that’s where the quarterback can cooperate and make life easier for the franchise. But he’s not taking 80 percent of his value to get it done.

Wilson doesn’t have to, either. Football is a volatile game, but great quarterbacks have longevity that players at other positions don’t, and that allows teams greater flexibility in arranging such a contract. And with Schneider leading a personnel department known for uncovering talent through traditional and unconventional avenues, the Seahawks will be fine managing the rest of the roster moving forward.

The penalty for personnel mistakes will be greater, and the Seahawks won’t always enjoy the extraordinary depth they’ve had during their rise to greatness. But if they retain the right people and continue to add fresh, inexpensive talent through the draft, there’s no reason the Seahawks have to collapse.