With a huge contract, Russell Wilson is no longer the underdog

RENTON – Russell Wilson isn’t an underdog anymore.

Not after this offseason. Certainly not after Friday’s announcement that he had agreed to a four-year extension with the Seattle Seahawks.

That announcement was greeted with as much relief as excitement by this city’s fans, hundreds of whom chanted the quarterback’s first name as he signed autographs after Friday’s practice. No one was worried about losing Wilson, but the negotiations created some tension that Seattle simply wasn’t used to when it came to the quarterback who had always been the feel-good story in this city.

He was the consummate overachiever. The guy many deemed too short. A player whose selection in the third round was panned by many draft analysts and someone who came to town and didn’t so much as bat an eye when given the opportunity to compete for the starting job.

For three years, he has been the biggest bargain in the NFL. A playmaker so gifted you had to pinch yourself to believe that it was real. This city that had gone so long without a major sports championship, this franchise that had endured four straight losing seasons before he was drafted, had not only found one of the all-time greats, but had done it in the third round.

That chapter in Wilson’s career is done, though. He’s no longer the Little Quarterback Who Could.

He is now a Franchise Quarterback with the paystub to prove it: a $31 million bonus that was fully funded and guaranteed the moment he signed the deal on Friday.

Now he’s going to deal with something else: expectations. For the past three years, he has been better than anyone had a right to hope for, but going forward, there’s a different bar that he will be measured against. He is the highest-paid player on a team where money is becoming an increasingly contentious topic.

This is a team that has been built around its defense and its running game. Wilson’s play at quarterback has been the trump card. The guy who avoids back-breaking mistakes and whose penchant for making extraordinary plays has made the difference in so many close games.

The question of whether he’s worth top-of-the-line quarterback money is no longer hypothetical. Seattle’s future will depend upon his ability to keep Seattle winning as it has since he arrived.

“For three years we’ve been pretty successful and found ways to play at a high, high level,” Wilson said. “So nothing changes. The mindset doesn’t change for me or any other guy on this football team.”

Wilson’s role won’t change. He’s still the quarterback of an offense that will rank at the bottom of the league in pass attempts, a guy who’ll be asked to make the most of those opportunities without making mistakes.

But while he won’t necessarily have to shoulder more of the offensive workload, he will bear more responsibility now. For three years, he has been one of the biggest steals in NFL history. Now, Wilson is being paid like the franchise quarterback he is, and he’ll have to stand up to all the expectations that entails.

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