Quarterback Russell Wilson and his representative, Mark Rodgers, had given the Seattle Seahawks an April 15 deadline to reach an agreement on a contract extension or negotiations would cease.
With one more year on his current deal and the NFL draft just around the corner, many asked, why the rush?
April 15 also marked the day the Seahawks began their offseason workouts, making the timing even more critical.
“The reality was we were coming back to play football,” Wilson said during his press conference Wednesday. “I have an obsession with football. I just want to play the game. I just want to be able to focus on that.”
Wilson recalled his previous contract extension negotiations which went all the way through summer and weren’t completed until just before the start of training camp in 2015.
Both sides wanted to avoid another long, drawn-out process.
“For me, and for everyone involved really, the whole organization, it was really more so of a ‘Hey, let’s make sure we don’t have to drag out this whole process,'” Wilson added. “Everybody writing, everybody talking, everybody speculating. These thoughts and this thought. Let’s remain focused on what I really want: winning. Let’s do everything we can to prepare in that way.”
Seahawks general manager John Schneider, who was also present during Wilson’s presser, echoed his sentiment despite it being one of the busiest times of the year for the GM and his staff as they prepared for the NFL draft.
Schneider explained he was in and out of draft meetings the entire weekend while negotiating with Wilson’s agent just down the hall in another conference room.
“The April 15th deal for us was a good idea,” Schneider said. “The last one, quite frankly, took too long and took a lot of energy away from what we’re supposed to be doing.”
With a deal in place, Wilson can now return to the football field and Schneider to his draft board, both comfortable the quarterback’s extension has been checked off their lists.
