Seahawks sign Bobby Wagner to extension

The Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson have agreed to a four-year contract extension.

Those worries about Wilson hitting free agency or Seattle having to use a franchise tag are now tabled for another five seasons.

Former Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson tweeted Saturday that the team had come to terms on an extension with linebacker Bobby Wagner. He’s locked up in Seattle through the 2019 season – the year he turns 31 – giving him the opportunity at another big paycheck down the road. Can’t wait to get on field w/ the fellas! “At the end of the day, I’m happy to be a Seahawk”, Wilson said in a press conference. I knew it was business. Wilson’s representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Wilson has led the Seahawks to the playoffs in each of his three seasons in the NFL, including trips to the Super Bowl the past two seasons, winning once.

Wilson’s extension keeps him with the franchise that took him in the third round of the 2012 draft and watched him become one of the most successful young quarterbacks in NFL history. Wilson’s $60M in guaranteed money puts him in a tie for second league-wide with Cam Newton, behind only Colin Kaepernick, who has a deal worth $61M guaranteed.

Wilson is coming off another strong season in which he completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 3,475 yards with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions. As such, he was playing on a cheap rookie deal despite leading his team to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.

He also had the Seahawks on the cusp of a second straight title. He also has 45 career postseason tackles and two interceptions, including one against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. For any player in NFL history through their first three seasons, he ranked 1st with 42 wins, 1st with 6 playoff wins, 1st with two Super Bowl starts, 2nd in passer rating at 98.5, and 4th in passing touchdowns with 84. Wagner has been a key part of the Seahawks defense and if the team doesn’t sign Bruce Irvin after not picking up his fifth year, Wagner will be even more integral.

According to Rand Getlin at NFL Network, Seattle has been “working to extend” Wagner for a few weeks and he could be looking for a deal around $10 million per season. The quarterback reportedly got insurance for the upcoming year in case he suffers a major injury without a new contract.