What to make of Seahawks’ Russell Wilson reportedly taking out insurance policy
Jun 17, 2015, 12:01 PM | Updated: 2:38 pm
Russell Wilson reportedly plans to take out an insurance policy to protect himself against an injury. (AP)
(AP)
BY
Former Seattle Sports Lead Editor
As Russell Wilson’s contract negotiations have played out in the media, his side has made it clear that the quarterback is willing and prepared to play out the final year of his rookie deal in the absence of what he deems a suitable offer from the Seahawks.
His agent, Mark Rodgers, first expressed that last month during an interview with 710 ESPN Seattle. Wilson himself reiterated that sentiment a few days later when he met with the media.
The latest bit of news regarding Wilson’s contract situation should come as no surprise, then.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Wilson plans to take out an insurance policy “worth millions” in case of a career-ending injury. It makes plenty of sense – both that Wilson would want to protect himself with an insurance policy and that his plan to do so would be leaked to the media.
An insurance policy mitigates some of the financial risk that Wilson would take by entering next season without an extension. Consider what he has to lose by doing so. If Wilson were to suffer a catastrophic injury, his career could end – or could significantly be altered – without him ever having cashed in with a lucrative deal.
Remember that the rookie contract Wilson signed as a third-round pick in 2012 is worth a little less than $3 million in all, including a base salary of about $1.5 million this coming season. Compare that to Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, another quarterback who played out the final year of his rookie deal in 2012 before becoming the highest-paid player in league history the following offseason. The big difference: the rookie deal that Flacco had signed as the 18th overall pick in 2008 was worth almost $30 million, meaning he already had a great deal of financial security when he rolled the dice whereas Wilson is much less protected against a serious injury. The insurance policy is a safeguard.
As for the report itself, we can presume with some degree of certainty that its source was someone from Wilson’s side, which could theoretically benefit from that information getting out. If nothing else, Wilson’s purported intention to take out an insurance policy conveys to the Seahawks that he isn’t about to blink in his contract staredown. In all likelihood, that’s not an accident.
