When the clock turned to midnight last night, hundreds of thousands shuddered in the realization that we’ve reached a critical deadline. We’re not talking about the 2018 tax deadline — we’re talking about Russell Wilson’s deadline with the Seattle Seahawks to finalize a long-term contract.
Time will tell if the Seahawks are able to iron out a deal, though it doesn’t sound likely the two will come to an agreement by the end of the day as of this morning. Pro Football Talk posted yesterday that league sources seem to think Wilson would prefer to play somewhere other than Seattle going forward. And while Wilson has communicated his desire to finalize a deal and get it done, the Seahawks ultimately have time on their side. Wilson has another year left on his deal and the team has the franchise tag at their disposal after that.
But, in the hypothetical scenario in which Seattle decides they are better off moving Russell Wilson now to maximize their return, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for the Dolphins to make the move. Sure the team will have the necessary cap space to absorb a contract extension of Wilson’s magnitude.
And the team, in the spirit of the New England Patriots’ model of cap allocation, would have to be willing to accommodate an elite quarterback.
But the Dolphins do not have the assets to make a deal like this happen. And by the time they do (2020?), Wilson will be 31-years old as a quarterback who at times thrives by being a mobile, athletic player. That’s a dangerous mix.
If the Dolphins were to make the move now, in 2019, they’d be mortgaging their future and all ability to build around Wilson. The team has one viable long-term starter on the offensive line. Wilson would command a king’s ransom, meaning Miami’s ability to add young talent to the offensive line would be severely compromised.
The idea of Wilson in South Beach is a wonderful one. But so long at the Seahawks have him under contract, he’s more of a mirage than an actual solution.
