National Football League

Russell Wilson on salary: If it's $25M or $1.5M, I'll be ready to go

Published Jun. 30, 2015 10:50 a.m. ET

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By Jason Rowan

The protracted contract negotiations between Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks that seemingly have been going nowhere for some time now has been one of biggest stories dominating the headlines during the NFL offseason. Comments the quarterback made during an interview with ESPN — and another cryptic tweet — surely are going to ratchet up the dialogue surrounding how exactly the entire situation ultimately will play out.

As he has done before, Wilson preached patience when it comes to the behind-the-scenes back-and-forth that is presently occurring between himself and the team. He also reiterated his desire to remain with the Seahawks.

“I obviously want to stay in Seattle. I love Seattle,” Wilson told ESPN’s Marty Smith in a “SportsCenter” interview. “I trust the process. Trust the process of it all. I’ll do everything I can to put in the work and let the rest speak for itself.”

Reports going all the way back to April have given the impression that Wilson and the Seahawks are having a difficult time arriving at mutually satisfying terms. The parties reportedly were “10s of millions apart” in early May and there have been no indications that the team and their star quarterback are nearing any sort of resolution.

While he previously insisted that the contract negotiations are a “private matter,” Wilson floated some numbers — arguably in a joking manner — during his most recent interview.

When asked by Smith how much he believes he deserves — Wilson is set to make $1.5 million in 2015 on the last year of his rookie contract — the quarterback turned the tables on the interviewer, asking, “I don’t know. How much would you pay me?”

“I think ultimately, it comes down to the play,” Wilson continued, as transcribed in an NFL.com report. “Just let my play speak for itself. … No matter if it’s $25 million or if it’s $1.5 million — I’ll be ready to go.”

While Wilson’s $25 million number may have been pulled out of thin air, it would make him the highest-paid player in the league, something he reportedly is seeking with his next contract. Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole reported last week that Wilson’s “contract demands have exceeded the five-year, $110 million deal that Aaron Rodgers signed with the Green Bay Packers.” Rodgers’ contract terms average out to about $22 million per season.

Wilson, along with his agent, Mark Rodgers, took to Twitter shortly after Wilson’s $25 million comment hit the airwaves, with the quarterback maintaining his proclivity for cryptic social media missives.

“Don’t believe me just watch….” Wilson tweeted.

Rodgers, meanwhile, had a little more fun with his social media commentary, tweeting (via the Seattle Times), “I wish he had said $40 million. Then this would be really interesting,” before adding the hashtags, #patience, #relax and #no_deadline. Interesting, indeed.

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