Lie #1: Russell Wilson is greedy

Imagine this: As a kid, it was just your hobby. You played because you had fun and your parents came to watch you. But you, your friends, and your family saw potential in you. It became less of a hobby and more of a job. You grew up, getting better every single day, and your community noticed. But with this attention came the doubters. Many claimed you didn’t have the skill set, the potential, and that you were too short. But you kept getting better. You kept progressing.

You worked your entire life up to reach this moment. Many early mornings and late nights in the film room, numerous injuries, mental challenges...you made sacrifices that no one else was willing to make. Now, you’re almost there. You are arguably 1 of only 8 people in the world who can do your job as well as you do. Every sacrifice, every challenge, every tear has prepared you for this moment. And just when you’ve finally made it...

Your boss asks you to take a pay cut to benefit "the team".

Let’s be very clear: Russell Wilson is not greedy. Initial reports suggested that Russell Wilson and his agent, Mark Rodgers, approached the Seahawks with a 4-year/100 million extension with 75 million in full guarantees (notice – different than total guarantees). Russell Wilson could make $30M a year and I still wouldn’t call him greedy. Top tier NFL quarterbacks are rare. They do not come by often. There are arguably less than ten franchise quarterbacks in the world.

Russell Wilson is everything you want in a franchise quarterback. He’s a leader, he’s the first one in and the last one out, he gives back to the community, he has become brothers with his teammates, he represents your franchise flawlessly, and he leads you to Super Bowls. Good quarterbacks do not lead you to back-to-back Super Bowls. Franchise quarterbacks lead you to back-to-back Super Bowls.

Additionally, football is a dangerous sport. Football leaves many players handicapped, physically limited, and mentally stunted. Football can kill people. The reality is that Russell Wilson puts his body at risk every single day (especially with his playing style). NFL players have a very short earning potential window. RW needs to get as much fully guaranteed money as soon as possible. RW could step on the football field tomorrow, tear his ACL, and literally lose potentially tens of millions of dollars in earning potential. I would get as much money as possible as soon as possible.

You know you would too. So lets stop holding Russell Wilson to a standard that we all know fully well we wouldn’t hold ourselves to.

Lie #2: Paying Russell Wilson more than $20M a year will destroy the Seahawks cap

I hate this one. Absolutely hate it. People who say this aren’t typically saying this to annoy people – but out of ignorance. They aren’t educated on the subject of the salary cap – which is okay...because the salary cap/CBA/and contract negotiations are obscenely complicated in the NFL (more complicated than other sports). Sitting on my desk right now, as I write this, is the 316-page 2011 CBA agreement negotiated between the NFL and the NFL Players Union. Most people don’t bother to read or study this obscenely overcomplicated document and I don’t blame them.

I do some side volunteer work for Jason Fitzgerald at Over the Cap – so we’ll be using OTC’s databases for reference. The Seahawks currently have 9.3m in cap room in 2015 – but for all practical reasons...we have 5.3m. Every year, NFL teams need to save around 4m for IR and 1m for Practice Squad. Not every team saves that exact amount – but it’s a good average to use. Assuming the cap rises to 150m in 2016 (although... I predict it to be more around 154-157m), the Hawks have around 38m in cap space (but again...really only 33m). In 2017, the cap space then jumps to 54m assuming a 160m cap.

Mind you, it’s important to note that the Seahawks already have their core locked up for the future (Chancellor, Lynch, Graham, Bennett, Avril, Wright, Earl, Sherman, and probably a couple more that I’m missing). Now fans start to wonder.... "How can the Seahawks afford all these good players?!" Well....the answer is...we can’t. The Seahawks have let a lot of good players walk away. The Hawks have let Golden Tate go, who signed a 5-year/31 million contract with the Lions. They let Ron Parker walk. They let Brandon Browner walk. They let Zach Miller walk. They let Byron Maxwell walk – who received a 6-year/63 million contract with the Eagles. The reality is that the Seahawks have already let a lot of good players go.... and we will undoubtedly let more go.

We have the money to lock up Russell Wilson indefinitely, keep Lynch, and resign a couple more guys. Quarterback contracts cap hits start low and progressively get larger. So by the time Russell Wilson is making big money, most of our team will look very different. (Side note, while my mind is thinking of it, the most likely cap casualty in the next year will be Bruce Irvin. Bruce will command around 8-10m in free agency...and the Hawks would be unwise to chase that.)

So in conclusion...signing Russell Wilson will not break the bank. He will undoubtedly take up room...but with the how the Hawks have wisely layered contracts and been willing to let big name players walk, the Hawks have set themselves up for future salary cap success.

Lie #3: Ciara has changed Russell Wilson

LOL.

Go Hawks.