The Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson are talking about a new contract but getting nowhere. If/when they get anywhere, the Seahawks will get there carefully.
“Every negotiation is unique in and of itself and this is no different,” G.M. John Schneider told KIRO radio on Wednesday, via Terry Blount of ESPN.com. “He’s our quarterback. We’d love him to be our quarterback. But the thing is we need to keep as many of these guys together as we possibly can. What I can tell you is that this is the ultimate team sport. We have a track record of rewarding our players that we recognize as core players.”
Wilson is one of their core players. But how much will they reward him, specifically in relation to the top of the quarterback market? A contract a the top of the quarterback market may conflict with the team’s broader philosophies.
“We want to be a consistent championship-caliber football team, one that the community and the Northwest is extremely proud of every year and has high expectations and hopes for,” Schneider said. “We have to be able to protect ourselves as we go and make smart decisions in trying to keep this whole thing together as long as we possibly can.
“I think you’ve seen over the last several years now a philosophy of competition at every position and trying to acquire as many players as you possibly can and to make it fit. We’ve done this since Day One.”
The emphasis on team could require the guy who plays the most important position to put team ahead of the quest to get paid as much as possible. If Wilson isn’t willing to do that (and, really, why should he be?), the answer could be that the Seahawks will have to find another young quarterback who can perform for three or four years at a level far higher than his compensation reflects.
For now, the Seahawks have begun the process of framing the question Wilson eventually will have to face. Do I grab every dollar, or do I get fair compensation and allow the team to put other great players around me?