Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is no longer the highest-paid player in the history of the NFL.
That title now belongs to Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks.
Wilson, a former Badger who has been to five Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl, agreed to a four-year, $140 million deal with the Seahawks that includes a $65 million signing bonus, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The contract beats records set by Rodgers last August in both average per year ($35 million) and signing bonus.
Rodgers’ four-year, $134 million deal averaged $33.5 million and included a signing bonus of $57.5 million, both records at the time.
Wilson’s deal is also expected to set a new record for total guaranteed money.
Rodgers held the records for roughly eight months. The economics of the quarterback position in a constantly rising salary cap ensured Rodgers’ mark would be beaten sooner rather later, and Wilson was always the favorite to reset the market.
The Seahawks quarterback was about to enter the final year of his second contract in 2019. The two sides worked to get a deal done that will keep Wilson in Seattle through the 2023 season.
Rodgers signed his new deal last summer with two years left on his old contract, a five-year, $110 million deal that was once the biggest in NFL history.
Wilson, Rodgers and Matt Ryan are the only three players to have a contract averaging at least $30 million per season.
