Boss moves: Russell Wilson pens deal with Seahawks becoming NFL’s highest paid
The Seattle QB agreed to a deal for more money than he can probably count this year, but must now look to bring his team back to championship status
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has agreed to a $140 million, four-year contract extension with the team, which also includes a $65 million signing bonus, that will make him the highest paid player in the National Football League, ESPN is reporting.
The deal made between the team and the star player, who is married to singer Ciara, tops the previous record-breaking deal made between Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, that called for $33.5 million per season and a signing bonus of $57.5 million.
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Wilson, 30, posted a video to Twitter early Tuesday celebrating the deal. Under the caption, “SEATTLE. Let’s get it. @Seahawks #GoHawks,” Wilson posted video of he and Ciara in bed.
SEATTLE. Let’s get it. @Seahawks #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/xeWnEnUzmR
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) April 16, 2019
Ciara later in the morning added a tweet of her own praising the deal.
Soooo proud of my love @DangeRussWilson. So excited Seattle is home! God is so good. The hardest working man I know! You inspire me so much! #GoHawks @Seahawks.
— Ciara (@ciara) April 16, 2019
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The deal came about after four days of negotiations between the Seahawks and Wilson’s agent, Mark Rodgers, ESPN reported.
“At the end of the day, my guy wants to live, work, thrive in Seattle,” Rodgers told the news organization. “Loves this town and its fans. He compromised to stay here. I respect that.”
In 2015, Wilson signed a four-year, $87.6 million extension with the Seahawks. He and his representatives had a deadline of midnight Monday night for a new agreement, and they’d said they would not consider more negotiations this year without one, according to ESPN.
Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll told ESPN that an extension for Wilson was “very much in our plans.”
Wilson is now faced with seeing if he can return the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, which they haven’t been in since Super Bowl XLIX, when a bungled play resulted in Wilson throwing an interception to New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, effectively costing them the game.
In the 2018 season, Wilson threw for 3,448 yards for 35 touchdowns, tying him for third in the league.
