Seahawks’ Wilson signs richest deal in league history
Once again, the Seahawks and Russell Wilson made deadline. This time, they also made NFL contract history.
Just as they did in 2015, the two sides came to an agreement on a new contract on the night of a deadline set by Wilson, with Seattle agreeing late Monday to a four-year, $140 million contract extension that keeps him with the Seahawks through the 2023 season and makes him the highestpaid player in the history of the NFL.
The contract also includes a $65 million signing bonus that is also the highest in NFL history.
The average of $35 million per season in new money surpasses the $33.5 million of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who had been the highest-paid player in the NFL. The signing bonus also breaks the record of $57.5 million received by Rodgers in a contract he signed last August. The contract includes total guarantees of $107 million, which also would be the most in NFL history, and includes a no-trade clause.
And it all marks a significant raise for Wilson, who was entering the final season of a four-year, $87.6 million deal signed on the day training camp opened in July 2015, agreed to late the night before. That deal made Wilson at the time the second-highest paid player in the NFL at $21.9 million per season, just behind Rodgers at $22 million.
This time, the two sides got the contract done as the clock struck midnight sending Monday into Tuesday, a source saying the two sides worked all day with Wilson having set a deadline of April 15 to get an extension completed with the Seahawks. Wilson was already under contract for the 2019 season, though the new deal will drop his base salary to $5 million this year, with four years then added on, meaning he could not become a free agent until following the 2023 season, when he would be 35 years old. That means in total, Wilson will earn $157 million over the next five seasons, an average of $31.4 million. That also puts Wilson ahead of Rodgers, who when including current years on his contract averages $29.1 million over six years. BEARS’ MILLER TO RETIRE >> Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller announced Russell Wilson agreed to a new deal with the Seahawks that makes him the highest-paid player in the league.
his retirement on Tuesday, 18 months after he suffered a terrible knee injury.
On Oct. 29, 2017, Miller suffered a dislocated knee against the New Orleans Saints. He had emergency vascular surgery at a local hospital to repair a torn popliteal artery and ultimately save his left leg. The injury eventually required nine surgeries. SCHEDULE RELEASE DAY >> The NFL will release the 2019 schedule tonight during a televised show on NFL Network, the league announced. The unveiling begins at 5 p.m., and it comes one week before the NFL draft, which starts April 25.
Top amateur athlete
STANFORD’S PLUMMER WINS SULLIVAN AWARD >> Two-time AVCA National Player of the Year Kathryn Plummer has been selected the winner of the 89th AAU James E. Sullivan Award, presented annually to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.
On top of winning a second NCAA championship in 2018, Plummer was named the AVCA Player of the Year, espnW Player of the Year, Pac-12 Player of the Year and AVCA Pacific North Region Player of the Year for the second straight season. She also took home the Honda Sport Award for Volleyball.
College basketball
GUY THROWS NAME INTO DRAFT HAT >> Virginia guard Kyle Guy announced that he is entering the NBA draft. Guy said he will keep open the option of returning to school in his announcement on Instagram.
Guy was one of the stars of the Virginia team that won the national championship earlier this month. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after scoring 24 points in the overtime win over Texas Tech in the title game.
UCLA WOULDN’T PAY TO GET BARNES >> Tennessee’s Rick Barnes said he was close to becoming UCLA’s next coach. So close that all that was needed was for the Bruins to pay Barnes’ $5 million buyout. That didn’t happen and Barnes stuck with the Volunteers.
“I think I would’ve been the coach at UCLA,” Barnes told reporters in Knoxville. “I’ve said that to people before. I really felt at that time that’s what would happen.”
UCLA ended up hiring Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin while Barnes received a raise.
Golf
BIG RATINGS FOR TIGER’S WIN >> CBS said Tuesday that the broadcast of the Masters final round live coverage averaged 10.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched golf broadcast since last year’s Masters final round.
The final 18 holes, in which Tiger Woods came from behind to win his first major title in 11 years, was watched by 37.2 million viewers in total, up 41 percent from last year’s live coverage. It was the most watched Masters Sunday in six years.
Broadcast of the live coverage of the final round was moved to Sunday morning due to weather.
WNBA
REIGNING MVP SUFFERS ACHILLES INJURY >> Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart tore her right Achilles tendon in the EuroLeague championship game, just five weeks before the start of the WNBA season. Her father, Brian Stewart, confirmed the injury and said she is expected to have surgery in Los Angeles this week.
While Storm officials have not commented about the reigning league MVP, she likely will miss the 2019 season.