The Real Cost of a QB

Russell Wilson finally got paid. Rather than being forced to play out the final year of his rookie contract, Wilson was rewarded by the Seahawks with an $87.6 million contract with $60 million guaranteed. It’s definitely a great day to be Wilson, but is it a great day for the Seahawks?

Recent history would say no.

The Ravens let Joe Flacco play out the final year of his contract, and he led them to a victory in Super Bowl 47. The team was forced to pay Flacco an exorbitant amount of money, and the Ravens were forced to cut ties with eight starters from the championship team. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s more than any other Super Bowl champ in history.

Since paying Flacco, the Ravens haven’t finished better than third in the AFC North and are 1-1 in the playoffs.

So what’s the moral of the story? The quarterback of your team can’t do it all on his own.

Wilson fell into a fantastic situation when the Seahawks drafted him in 2012. They had a great run game, a phenomenal defense, and a good offensive line. The Hawks were the definition of a team that was a quarterback away from winning, and Wilson took the reins and ran with it. He minimized turn overs, took advantage of the playmakers around him, and made plays with his feet when he had to.

So how bad of a deal is this for the Seahawks? Time will tell. Just to name a few upcoming contract issues - Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett have already made it clear they want more money and the team will be forced to give Bobby Wagner a new contract soon. There isn’t going to be enough money to go around for everyone and soon it will be up to Wilson to prove that he’s capable of being successful without such a talented roster.