Russell Wilson reportedly willing to restructure contract to help teammates

The Seattle Seahawks have two core players seeking new contracts before the start of the 2021 season, and Russell Wilson is willing to help the team settle the disputes.

Safety Jamal Adams and left tackle Duane Brown, who are both starters and Pro Bowlers, have been present at Seahawks training camp but have not participated in practice. Wilson said Sunday that the Seahawks have “got to figure out” a way to get Brown back on the field. According to Adam Jude and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Wilson is willing to restructure his contract to create cap space for the Seahawks to extend Adams and Brown.

The Seahawks technically do not need Wilson’s permission to restructure his contract. They have the ability to convert $17.9 million of his $19 million salary for this season into a bonus, which would give them much more flexibility than the roughly $8 million in salary cap space they currently have. However, lowering Wilson’s cap hit for 2021 would meaning raising it by more than $5 million for both 2022 and 2023.

As Jude and Condotta explained, that could create issues for the Seahawks. If they went that route, Wilson’s cap hit would be $42.9 million in 2022 and $45.9 million in 2023. That would give him added leverage in extension talks, as he’d have little motivation to sign an extension at an average annual value below his 2022 and 2023 salary. Though, that is right around what the top quarterbacks in the NFL are paid, anyway.

The other potential issue could be with dead cap money. Wilson was openly unhappy with the Seahawks earlier this offseason. There has been talk that he may want out of Seattle next offseason if things go a certain way. The Seahawks don’t want to handcuff themselves if it is no guarantee that Wilson will want to stick around.

In any event, the Seahawks need both Adams and Brown in the fold to be competitive this season. Calling their bluff could have serious consequences.