Russell Wilson willing to restructure Seahawks contract to help his team bring back key pieces
One reason why Tom Brady beat Russell Wilson in the Super Bowl was because he was willing to sacrifice part of his salary to help his team land other stars and boost his team's chances. Russell Wilson is following the example set by Tom Brady.
According to the Seattle Times, Wilson has said he is willing to do the same by going all-in on restructuring his deal, freeing up money to help his team pay Jamal Adams and Duane Brown.
The news comes on the heels of rumors that the Seahawks were looking at pushing back contract talks with Duane Brown until after the 2021 season.
Russell Wilson willing to help pay for Adams and Brown's return
No pens have been put to paper, and no announcements of any moves have been made official yet. So it's unclear how this could all play out. It is unknown how big a pay cut Wilson is willing to take in order to help Adams and Brown remain with the team.
Russell Wilson is currently the highest-paid player in the team, and is expected to take home $32 million this season. Meanwhile, Brown is expected to earn about $13 million. Adams is on deck to make about $10 million.
Both Duane Brown and Jamal Adams will be free agents at the start of the 2022 free-agency period. Based on these numbers, Wilson would need to forfeit $23 million next season in order to help his team make up the difference.
According to Spotrac, the Seahawks will have about $50 million in cap space to work with in 2022. That leads many to ponder why it would be necessary for Wilson to forfeit part of his salary to make room for a team with about $50 million in cap space.
Some speculate that the Seahawks may be lining up for some big purchases in 2022 and told Wilson about that, thus indirectly telling him that he may need to rework his contract for the new arrivals to materialize.
Duane Brown and Jamal Adams' recent impact on Wilson and Seahawks
Duane Brown is coming off a season in which he earned an 87.3 PFF grade. He allowed two sacks and had two penalties in 1048 snaps in 2020. Brown will be 36 on August 30. Meanwhile, Jamal Adams is coming off a season in which he earned a 64.2 PFF grade and had 58 solo tackles. Adams will be 26 this season.
Both players were acquired via trade. Brown was acquired from the Houston Texans in 2017; Adams arrived from the New York Jets in 2020.