What Kaepernick’s deal could mean for Wilson
Jun 4, 2014, 6:16 PM | Updated: Jun 5, 2014, 7:28 am
By Brady Henderson
The six-year extension that quarterback Colin Kaepernick signed with the 49ers on Wednesday invites discussion about what that might mean for the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson when he becomes eligible for a new deal a year from now.
Kaepernick’s extension, according to reports, is worth $110 million and includes a record $61 million guaranteed and the possibility of an additional $16 million in playoff incentives.
A head-to-head comparison of the two players’ career passing numbers is difficult because Wilson has nine more regular-season starts than Kaepernick, who became San Francisco’s starter midway through his second season. But most of the average-based stats favor Wilson, including completion percentage (63.6 to 59.8), yards per completion (8.09 to 7.9) and quarterback rating (100.6 to 93.8).
Kaepernick has the edge in touchdown-to-interception ratio (2.81/1 to 2.72/1), QBR (75.6 to 65.8) and yard per rushing attempt (6 to 5.4)
When taking the postseason into account, Wilson is 28-9 as a starter and has a Super Bowl victory under his belt while Kaepernick is 21-8 with losses in the Super Bowl and NFC title game.
Based strictly on their respective resumes, Wilson could reasonably ask for a deal that at least matches and probably exceeds Kaepernick’s. But as Bob Stelton and Dave Grosby discuss in the video above, that won’t necessarily be the case.