Report: Russell Wilson wanted ‘Mahomes money’ in next contract prior to trade from Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks made the extraordinary decision to trad legendary franchise quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in exchange for multiple first- and second-round picks, quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, and defensive lineman Shelby Harris.

Wilson trade rumors have been swirling for a few years now but now the team has actually pulled the trigger and agreed to send its only Super Bowl winning quarterback to the very team he defeated to get that Lombardi Trophy.

Of course, we cannot ignore that Wilson’s contract, which at the time made him the NFL’s highest paid player, is set to expire at the end of the 2023 season. The quarterback who usurped him as the league’s highest paid man was Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes might not even hold onto that distinction much longer given the Aaron Rodgers news, but you get the general idea.

According to Seattle Times reporter Adam Jude, behind the scenes Wilson has been looking for that “Mahomes money.” You can probably figure out the rest from there given the developments on this Tuesday.

Mike Sando of The Athletic (and former Seahawks reporter) also revealed that part of why the Seahawks were willing to let Wilson go is an unwillingness to hand Wilson a mega-contract in his mid-30s.

If you’re so minded as to believe that Russell’s game and style of play will not age very well on the other side of 35, then you can understand why the Seahawks front office wanted to make the trade now while his market value is still high and to avoid tying up so much money into Wilson. That doesn’t mean we as fans have to like it.

At the moment, Drew Lock is the Seahawks’ QB1 but his contract ends after the 2022 season, so don’t be surprised if Seattle uses its newly acquired 9th overall pick to land one of the few quarterbacks worth taking in what’s been termed a weak QB class.

As far as “Mahomes money” goes, that decision is now passed onto the Denver Broncos, who surely acquired Wilson with the hope that he can help deliver (among other things) Denver’s first win over Kansas City since 2015.