Back in mid-April, the Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson were in a bit of standoff on contract negotiations. Wilson had set a deadline of April 15 for the Seahawks to come to terms with an extension. Just before the deadline, the Seahawks gave Wilson a new deal to make him the highest-paid player in the NFL.
Wilson’s new four-year deal worth $140 million had raised the quarterback market. With a base salary of $35 million, a signing bonus of $65 million and $107 million fully guaranteed, the contract broke NFL records. However, some of those records didn’t last long.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Eagles have given their young quarterback, Carson Wentz, a monster extension of his own. The four-year deal will keep Wentz in the City of Brotherly Love through 2024.
Wentz’ contract will pay him roughly $32 million per year, which doesn’t top Wilson’s average salary of $35 million. Where Wentz’ deal does beat out Wilson’s is in terms of guaranteed money. Wentz will receive $107.9 million in total guaranteed money with a signing bonus of $66 million, both narrowly edging out Wilson.
Although Wentz has two years remaining on his rookie deal, it’s clear the Eagles wanted to get ahead of the rapidly increasing quarterback market.
The Seahawks should be breathing a sigh of relief they got Wilson his extension earlier this spring. They no longer had to worry about trying to outdo impending megadeals for younger, less accomplished quarterbacks like Wentz, Jared Goff, Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes.
