Russell Wilson’s new contract puts him comfortably ahead of Aaron Rodgers as the NFL’s new highest-paid player.
With the new money in the contract Wilson announced early this morning and the money that was left on the final year of his old deal, Wilson is reportedly set to total $157 million over the next five years. That’s an average of $31.4 million a year.
When Rodgers signed a new contract in August, it added four more years to the two he still had on his old deal, bringing his take to a total of $174.8 million over six years. That’s an average of $29.1 million a year.
Wilson’s deal runs through the 2023 season, during which he will turn 35 years old. So, if he were to play out this contract, he’d hit free agency again at age 35. Wilson has said he wants to play until he’s 45, so he’s likely satisfied with this contract not only because of what it pays him now, but because he can still hit free agency again when he still expects to be in his prime.