QB Russell Wilson hopes to spend career in Seattle: ‘I want to be a Seahawk for life’

Prior to April 15, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was widely considered to be the top free agent in 2020. The six-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion has set numerous franchise records, and at 30-years-old, would have commanded a lucrative deal from any quarterback-needy organization.

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So it should come as no surprise that in the weeks leading up to his contract deadline critics questioned whether Wilson wanted to play in Seattle.

But in the late hours of Monday night, the Seahawks were able to reach an agreement on a contract extension that keeps Wilson with the organization through 2023. And if that didn’t answer the question of whether Wilson wants to play in Seattle, the quarterback made it clear Wednesday.

“When it came down to it, it was a no-brainer for me to want to be here in Seattle and I want to be a Seahawk for life,” Wilson told reporters during a press conference from Seahawks headquarters in Renton. “So, that was kind of my mentality. The guys I’ve always admired in sports, they’re at those locations for 15 or 20 years. Guys like Derek Jeter. I want to be like that. I want to be remembered in that sense of what we want to do here in Seattle. So we’re just getting started, and I’m excited about where we’re headed and what we’re doing.”

The Seahawks signed Wilson to a four-year contract extension on April 15. The $140 million extension, which carries an annual salary of $35 million, makes Wilson the league’s highest-paid player.

Wilson was accompanied to the press conference by his wife, Ciara, and the couple’s two children. He emphasized that it was important to him, both for his career and for his family, to be able to play in Seattle through his 30’s.

“Seattle’s home for us,” Wilson said. “We do everything out of here, we get to work for some amazing people, we get to win a lot of football games. The fans — just the 12s in general — everywhere we go, just the energy we get to share at CenturyLink. It’s a special place and I wanted to be here. So that was our first priority, to make sure we do everything we can to be in Seattle and make sure it’s right, but also make sure we try to do something where it can take us the distance here…

“Really, from the beginning, my professional career started here and my goal is to end it here. My goal is to have a lasting impression on this city, to be able to make a lot of people’s lives, cheer at the top of their lungs, win a lot of football games, and hopefully win a lot of Super Bowls.”

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