The Seattle Seahawks just made quarterback Russell Wilson the highest-paid player in the NFL. The sides reportedly reached an agreement overnight, with news coming Tuesday morning on a four-year, $140 million contract extension that includes a $65 million signing bonus and a no-trade clause.
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Before the extension, 2019 would have been the final year of Wilson’s contract. He self-imposed a deadline of April 15 to sign an extension with Seattle, and the negotiators came together on the final day to agree on a contract that will keep Wilson in a Seahawks jersey for four more years.
Wilson has long been outspoken about his Christian faith, often citing encouraging Scripture verses on his Twitter page. He awoke with thankfulness Tuesday morning after agreeing to his contract extension and redirected all the glory upward to God.
My Hallelujah belongs to YOU. #AllForYourGlory 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) April 16, 2019
Before his Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII 43-8 over Denver in 2014, Wilson told Sports Spectrum that he leaned on the Lord when faced with widespread doubt about how effective he would be in the NFL at only 5-foot-11.
“In terms of my faith and everything, it’s brought me a long way,” Wilson said. “God has me here for a particular reason, just to be here in front of all these people and go against the odds when everybody else told me I couldn’t — that’s all God. That’s not me. But in terms of facing adversity, I see adversity as opportunity. That’s the way I look at it, whether if it’s in a game or in life. It’s an opportunity to overcome.”
Wilson, 30, has played in every game since the Seahawks drafted him out of Wisconsin in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. The five-time Pro Bowler has compiled 196 passing touchdowns and a career passer rating of 100.3 during 112 career regular-season games. Last season was perhaps his most impressive yet, posting 35 touchdowns, only seven interceptions and a career-best 110.9 passer rating.
The Seahawks have only missed the playoffs once since he’s been in Seattle, in 2017.
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