Russell Wilson wants to lock in his future with the Seattle Seahawks before the team gets back to work. The Pro Bowler has thrown down the gauntlet, telling Seattle that he wants a new deal by Tax Day.
The April 15 deadline marks the start of offseason workouts and Wilson wants to clear the air before he ever sets foot in a locker room. Wilson is in the final year of his 2015 contract, which paid him 87.6 million over four years. At the time of the contract, it made him the second-highest paid quarterback in football. However, the QB arms race in the years that followed has caused that number to slide substantially.
Wilson, in spite of his talents, is now in the middle of the league at 12th. ESPN's sources expect Wilson to ask for a deal that will put him near the top of the league for the foreseeable future.
The news that Wilson wanted a new deal from Seattle was first reported by the Seattle Times. They speculate that Wilson wants the deal to avoid questions about his future next season and report that the two sides have already begun negotiations. All of this runs counter to prior reports that the Seahawks QB wanted out of Seattle, with New York as a potential landing spot.
"The rumor I'm going to tell you about, I heard this yesterday—this is happening in the entertainment world—everyone will deny it," Colin Cowherd said of the rumored move to New York. "Russell Wilson's wife is Ciara... she would prefer to live in New York. And the Giants need a quarterback. And there's nobody in the draft they love."
Could Russell Wilson replace Eli Manning in New York?@ColinCowherd is hearing things... 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/r8rZY0Qbqr
