Count venerable Sports Illustrated writer Peter King as the latest to speculate that the Seahawks and Russell Wilson could be headed to a standoff as the two sides try to negotiate an extension for the fourth-year quarterback.
King’s weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column is headlined “The Looming Standoff: Russell Wilson vs. Seattle” writing “something about the dragged-out and apparently fruitless negotiations between Seattle and quarterback Russell Wilson is starting to raise alarm bells. And the new deal between Carolina and quarterback Cam Newton just exacerbates the issue, whether the Seahawks see it that way or not.”
King writes at length about the history of Wilson’s agent, Mark Rodgers, and the success he has had with some of his Major League baseball clients after they reached free agency and then quotes Rodgers with something of a potentially ominous quote.
“Sometimes, the best deal is the deal you don’t do,” Rodgers is quoted as saying. “For me, there would be a greater disappointment in taking a below-market deal than there would be in honoring the fourth year of a contract.”
King also quotes Rodgers repeating what he said in an interview recently with 710 ESPN Seattle, that there is no deadline for reaching a deal.
“There’s no deadline, no pressure,” Rodgers is quoted as saying. “Russell has a contract for this season, and he is fully prepared to play the season out if he does not sign another contract. It’s early June. They don’t report to camp till late July. I’ve always assumed this contract would take a while to get done.”
King also paraphrases what Rodgers had to say about where the talks are now, writing: “Rodgers was mum on terms or any detailed state of the negotiations when we spoke over the weekend. Rodgers said he didn’t think Newton’s deal was one that would force Wilson’s deal to get done, the same way he said Ryan Tannehill’s extension in Miami (he was drafted the same year as Wilson) wouldn’t be a spur to get Wilson’s deal done.”
King writes that Seahawks GM John Schneider did not respond to a request for comment.
As we noted here last week, one thing to watch is whether the Seahawks begin to seriously negotiate with middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, who like Wilson can also now be extended since he is entering the fourth-year of his original four-year rookie contract. It’s been thought the Seahawks would likely first get something done with Wilson before then turning to Wagner. But the Seahawks almost certainly want to get something done with at least one of the two this year and not risk both potentially entering free agency after the 2016 season (with being able to use a Franchise Tag on just one). If they begin talking with Wagner, it could be a sign of what the Seahawks think about the state of talks with Wilson.
UPDATE:
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport is also reporting that Rodgers sent a 16-page letter to the Seahawks last week explaining his position. Rapoport reported the letter did not contain an offer, just “a position paper.”
