Seahawks QB Russell Wilson agrees to richest contract in NFL history: “We got a deal”.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson reportedly agreed to contract extension with the team on Tuesday that will make him the highest paid player in NFL history. According to the Associated Press and ESPN, Wilson and the Seahawks agreed to a landmark four-year, $140 million extension that includes a $65 million guaranteed signing bonus.
Wilson, 30, has been one of the best players in the NFL since entering the league in 2011. He is a six-time Pro Bowler who has passed for 25,624 yards over seven seasons. He has never had a losing season as a starting quarterback and has a career record of 75-36-1. He led the Seahawks to victory in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 and narrowly missed winning a second Super Bowl the next year, when his team fell to Tom Brady’s New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.
Wilson famously fell to the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft (75th pick overall) due to his height, which is listed at 5’10” and is traditionally short for a quarterback. He has revolutionized the position with his cannon arm, speed and sliding ability. A dual sport athlete while attending North Carolina State and Wisconsin, Wilson was drafted by Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies in amateur drafts and has attended spring training for various MLB teams in year’s past.Â
But on Tuesday the quarterback made his commitment to professional football official. He posted a video in bed with his wife, singer Ciara, and said, “Hey, Seattle. We got a deal. Go ‘Hawks. But I‘ma see y‘all in the morning.”
Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). Wilson played college football for the University of Wisconsin during the 2011 season, in which he set the single-season FBS record for passing efficiency (191.8) and led the team to a Big Ten title and the 2012 Rose Bowl. Wilson also played football and baseball for North Carolina State University from 2008 to 2010 before transferring to Wisconsin. He played minor league baseball for the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2010 and the Asheville Tourists in 2011 as a second baseman.
After graduating from high school, Wilson was selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the fifth pick in the 41st round (1,222nd overall) of the 2007 MLB draft. The Orioles considered Wilson a talent worthy of the first ten rounds, offered Wilson a $350,000 signing bonus, the third-largest they offered a draftee that year after Matt Wieters ($6Â million) and Jake Arrieta ($1.1Â million). Wilson instead elected to attend NC State that fall. In a 2008 interview, Wilson said, “I was leaning towards [entering the draft], but a college education is something you’ll always have.”
College baseball
Wilson was a member of the NC State Wolfpack baseball team from 2008–2010, and in the summer of 2009 played for the Gastonia Grizzlies, a collegiate summer baseball team in the Coastal Plain League. He hit .282/.384/.415 with five home runs and 30 runs batted in (RBIs) during his collegiate career.
Professional baseball
| Russell Wilson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees – No. 73 | |||
| Second baseman | |||
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In the summer of 2011, Wilson played 61 games with the Asheville Tourists, the Class A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies in the South Atlantic League. He hit three home runs with 15 RBIs and a .228 batting average. In January 2012, Wilson informed the Rockies that he would be pursuing a career in the NFL and would not report to spring training for the 2012 season.
On December 12, 2013, Wilson was acquired from the Rockies by the Texas Rangers in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft. Wilson attended Rangers spring training in Surprise, Arizona in 2014 and 2015.
On February 7, 2018, Wilson was traded from the Rangers to the New York Yankees and assigned to the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, the Trenton Thunder. Wilson grew up as a Yankees fan and promised his late father that he would one day wear the Yankees uniform. On March 2, Wilson pinch-hit for Aaron Judge in the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves, his first appearance in a professional baseball game since 2011. He struck out on five pitches from Braves pitcher Max Fried.
Business ventures and endorsements
In 2014, Wilson became part-owner and endorser of Eat the Ball, a European bread company. In 2015, he began endorsing Luvo, a frozen food company, and Reliant Recovery Water. On February 29, 2016, Wilson launched Good Man Brand, a clothing line which he co-founded. In August 2016, it was announced that Wilson had partnered with Juice Press to open the company’s first Seattle franchise.
On November 14, 2016, Wilson announced he had joined Chris Hansen, Wally Walker, and Erik and Pete Nordstrom as partners in the investment group working to bring a new sports arena to Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood for potential NBA and NHL teams.
On November 20, 2017, football helmet manufacturer VICIS announced a $7 million investment round which included Wilson as an investor.
In June 2018, Wilson and his wife Ciara announced they were joining an effort to bring a Major League Baseball franchise to Portland, Oregon. In July 2018, Wilson became an investor and endorser for Molecule, a mattress company.
In September 2018, Wilson was announced as the next athlete to appear on the cover of the Wheaties cereal box.
