Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
RENTON, Wash. — Quarterback Russell Wilson gave no real definitive answers to the question that hovers over everything with the Seattle Seahawks right now: When will the he sign an extension to secure his long-term future with the team?
But then, no one should have expected that the notoriously say-the-right-thing Wilson would generate many headlines when he met with the Seattle media on Tuesday for the first time since a few days after the Super Bowl.
Wilson mostly said that he hopes it all works out to stay with the Seahawks indefinitely.
Still, he also left open the possibility that nothing gets worked out quickly, saying he also is ready for the idea that a contract does not get done in time for the 2015 season.
“I’m prepared for that 100 percent, if that’s the case,” Wilson said when asked about playing this year without a new contract. “You know, I want to be here for a long time. But if that’s the case (that he does not have an extension), I’ve just got to get ready to play. I love the game, and I love being out here with these guys and just playing. And so ultimately, I just take it one day at a time and just see where it takes me.”
The team and Wilson are negotiating for an extension of his existing four-year rookie contract, which runs out after the 2015 season. He is due $1.5 million for the 2015 season but is likely seeking a four- to five-year extension that would pay more than $20 million a season.
Interestingly, just about the time that Wilson spoke came news that Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton signed a five-year extension worth $103 million, a deal that figures to help Wilson’s cause and likely make it a little more expensive for Seattle to get something done with its quarterback.
Wilson, while saying he didn’t want to talk about the specifics of what it would take to get a deal done, said he hopes it works out to stay in Seattle but also didn’t close any doors.
“No matter where I go, I always believe that it’s going to work out, no matter what the situation is,” Wilson said. “And I hope that it’s here. And I hope that it’s here for a long time, and hopefully I get to wear the Seahawks blue in number three for a long time. But we’ll see what happens.”
Wilson had to like what the future might hold in Seattle on Tuesday, though, as he threw pass after pass to newly acquired tight end Jimmy Graham, who was taking part in just his second organized team activity.
Graham missed last week’s workouts following the death of his personal manager and surrogate mother. On Tuesday, though, Graham was the star of the show, catching at least five touchdown passes during an extended red-zone session.
“Jimmy looks great,” Wilson said. “As you guys saw here today, he is an unbelievable talent, and I am grateful to have him. He is a great addition to what we already have. We have had the opportunity to go to two Super Bowls in (my) three years, and we have a lot of great players who have made a lot of great plays. Just to add him in is something special.”
Graham, meanwhile, said his transition following the surprising trade from the New Orleans Saints is going better than he could have hoped, including a trip to Maui in April organized by Wilson and featuring 35 or so Seattle players doing informal workouts.
“This place has exceeded my expectations, by far,” he said in his first in-person meeting with Seattle media. “Number one, look at these facilities, I think they are some of the nicest in football. Beyond that, how the team is run — the players run the team, they hold each other accountable, and everyone competes at everything, it doesn’t matter where we are, out on the field or out there in Maui — we are going to try to compete to win.”
