Russell Wilson says he didn’t ask for new contract
Jan 22, 2013, 3:36 PM | Updated: 3:39 pm
By Brady Henderson
The NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement stipulates that a rookie’s contract cannot be renegotiated or altered until the end of his third season.
 Russell Wilson |
That’s why plenty of eyebrows were raised Sunday when a report from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen suggested that one of Russell Wilson’s representatives reached out to the Seahawks “insisting that something be done” about the rookie quarterback’s contract.
Wilson’s agent, Bus Cook, denied asking the Seahawks for a new contract for Wilson and made it clear that he knows such a request would be pointless.
Wilson has done the same, telling Peter King of Sports Illustrated that he “never demanded or asked for a restructured contract … I have complete understanding and respect for the new CBA rules.”
Wilson, a third-round pick, inarguably outplayed his first-year salary while tying the rookie record with 26 touchdown passes and finishing fourth among all quarterbacks in NFL passer rating. His slotted third-round rookie contract is scheduled to pay him an average annual salary of $747,500, which is a little more than a tenth of what his backup, Matt Flynn, makes per year.
But the league’s new labor deal, signed before the 2011 season, will require Wilson to play under that contract for at least two more years.
“Anyone who knows me knows I play for the love of the game,” Wilson told King. “I play for the challenge of being the best one day and know I have a long way to go. … I respect the NFL, respect the new CBA, respect my teammates, respect all of the other players across the league, and respect the Seattle Seahawks.”
