The Seattle Seahawks are working on a contract extension for quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason and the deal could be fully guaranteed and this comes after moves to keep Marshawn Lynch and to acquire Jimmy Graham and moving forward the team may look at Stevan Ridley, Mason Foster, Brandon Spikes or Lance Briggs as free agent options.
According to Pro Football Talk, Terry Blount of ESPN.com reports that the team is "close" to getting a new deal done with Wilson. The team is looking to get a deal locked in for Wilson, as he is heading into the final year of his contract. Wilson has been playing on six figure cap hits for the Seahawks since being a third round pick and all he has done since is win and get the team to the playoffs. Wilson has led the team to two Super Bowl appearances and one win and now he is going to get paid like a winner.
Reports have the deal putting Wilson in with the highest paid players in football and Blount writes that the deal could be as close to fully guaranteed as anyone has had in the NFL. Ndamukong Suh got $60 million guaranteed and NFL.com reports that the Seahawks are "thinking outside the box" to get Wilson's cap hit in a manageable place. The deal could be 50-75 percent guaranteed, according to NFL.com, while Blount writes that he could be higher than that. The Seahawks have one of the richest owners in sports in Paul Allen.
Later reports have the Seahawks and Wilson not engaged in talks, but either way, the team likely will look at getting a deal done before the season starts. The team currently has about $13 million in cap space and that could factor into what they decide to do with Wilson. While Wilson doesn't put up numbers like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, the results are what they are and he has been a winner since coming into the league and starting for the Seahawks.
Last season Wilson had 3475 yards and 20 touchdowns with just seven interceptions and that was his second straight season with single digits picks and at least 20 TD passes. The Super Bowl winning season saw him throw for 26 TDs and just nine picks and over the past two years he has completed 63.1 percent of his passes.
The Seahawks may also look at some free agents on the market, as Blount writes that linebacker, running back and offensive line could be remaining targets. The team may look at players like Stevan Ridley, Mason Foster, Brandon Spikes or Lance Briggs, as they all could be low cost, high upside signings. Ridley is coming off of an injury and could be a solid depth option, while one of the linebackers could help replace Malcolm Smith, who signed with the Raiders.
The Seahawks gave up their first round pick for Graham, but they could get some talent in the later rounds and names like Tevin Coleman, TJ Yeldon, Breshad Perriman and Ameer Abdullah could be targets. The team has Lynch back, but they could use more depth along with Robert Turbin and Christine Michael and with a deep class of backs, that could be one area of focus. The team also could look at receivers, as players like Perriman and Jaelen Strong could be available later.
