NFL: Seattle Has To Pay Russell Wilson

When the Seattle Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson in 2012, it was a stab in the dark. They had already signed Matt Flynn in free agency earlier in the offseason and seemed to be content to roll with him heading into the season. Wilson was simply there for insurance in case things with Flynn didn’t work out. As it turns out, the 5’11” QB would win the starting job in the preseason, and the rest is history. Wilson has become a staple of Seattle’s recent success, winning them a Super Bowl in his 2nd year and being the franchise QB the Seahawks had been looking for after Matt Hasselback went to Tennessee. Last season was a perfect example of just how much Wilson means to the Seahawks.

After letting Richard Sherman walk to the in division rival San Francisco 49ers and losing Earl Thomas to a broken leg after Week 3, Wilson quite frankly put the Seahawks on his back and carried them to the playoffs in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the team. Before the season everyone was talking about how the 49ers and Arizona Cardinals had potential to overtake the Seahawks as the top team that could compete with the Los Angeles Rams, but Wilson had other plans, playing at an MVP caliber level all year long. If it wasn’t for Patrick Mahomes bursting onto the scene as the NFL’s next superstar, Wilson probably would’ve taken home the 2018 MVP honors.

While yes, the six highest paid QBs in the NFL missed the playoffs and there are a ton of overpaid QBs in the league, there’s no doubt in my mind the Seahawks need to pay an elite talent like Wilson. Even risking the possibility that a franchise QB of Wilson’s caliber could just walk out of the door is just way too risky. Chances are high that they wouldn't find another quarterback remotely close to as good as Wilson in the NFL Draft. So why risk losing the guy that’s single handedly kept your franchise relevant after many of the key pieces from the 2013 Super Bowl team have left for greener pastures?

Photo Credit: USA Today.