One of the reasons given by the Seahawks for trading Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in March was that the franchise claimed to have been informed that he was not likely to sign another substantial contract to stay in Seattle.

General manager of the Seahawks John Schneider then stated, “We were under the notion that there wouldn’t be a long-term deal.

With only two years remaining on Wilson’s contract, the Seahawks were aware that, in either case, matters would be resolved after the 2022 season, which is the usual period for an extension.

Since Wilson had two years left on his deal rather than one, the Seahawks reasoned that they could more readily maximise the value if they made a trade sooner rather than later. As a result, Denver received an enormous harvest of eight players, including two first-round picks and two second-round picks.

Some people questioned if Wilson would sign a new contract with the Broncos or whether he would decide to enter the uncharted waters of free agency in a few years.

A five-year agreement with Denver for up to $245 million that would keep Wilson under contract through the 2028 season, when he is 40, provided the solution early on Thursday morning, according to several sources.

The average value of the additional money, $49 million, is second in the NFL only behind Aaron Rodgers’ $50.271 million.

In terms of reported guaranteed money, Kyler Murray of Arizona received $189.5 million, while Deshaun Watson of Cleveland received $245 million.

The agreement represents a big increase over the infamous contract Wilson signed with the Seahawks on April 15, 2019, just before the clock struck midnight.

Wilson would have received $140 million from the contract over four years ($35 million per season), making him the highest-paid player in NFL history at the time. $107 million in guarantees were included in that arrangement.

His new contract with Denver starts in the 2024 season, and it allows him to earn up to $296 million through 2028, including the 2022 and 2023 seasons of his Seahawks contract that the Broncos inherit.

Along with his $2 million salary this year and a $5 million roster bonus, Wilson will collect a total of $77 million over the following eight months thanks to a $50 million signing bonus and a guaranteed option bonus in March 2023.

Within the following three years, Wilson will receive $124 million. There are not many assurances after that. There are no promises for the years after 2025. Because of the way the contract is set up, the Broncos might opt out of it or Wilson will probably want a new contract before the 2027 season with significant cap savings in 2027 and 2028. With merely a $4.4 million dead cap charge and a $50 nonguaranteed salary in 2028—all of which Denver could save if Wilson were released or traded—he appears especially unlikely to play on this contract during that season.

Because it is not completely guaranteed, unlike Watson’s contract with Cleveland, which many around the league predicted future star quarterbacks would want, some observers at first saw the agreement favourably for Denver. It also prevents him from being the highest-paid player in the NFL, unlike his previous contract with the Seahawks.

The widespread judgement is that it was a fair arrangement for both sides after all the information was made public, including the fact that the last two years were backloaded.

In essence, Wilson received a guarantee that Denver couldn’t back out of the agreement until at least the 2026 season in exchange for a five-year contract. Wilson’s last deal with the Seahawks reportedly didn’t include the five years he sought. Since before the 2013 season, when Percy Harvin signed a six-year contract and Kam Chancellor a five-year one, the Seahawks have not awarded a contract lasting more than four years.

Denver had no such reservations since its new ownership group appeared anxious to wow the fans and didn’t want to run the danger of losing a player for whom it had made a significant investment.

Would Wilson have accepted the Seahawks’ offer to a similar contract?

Schneider said in March of last year that the Seahawks weren’t confident Wilson would agree to any type of long-term contract, showing how the two parties’ relationship had deteriorated.

Wilson receives an immediate payout and some more security after a season in which he suffered the first big injury of his NFL career—a dislocated middle finger that required him to miss three games—and some may have regarded the contract favourably for Denver.

Whether the Seahawks would have valued Wilson at that amount as he enters his second decade of play is a question that may never truly have an answer. In November, he will turn 34.

With Wilson’s rookie deal, which paid him $526,217 in 2013 and $662,434 in 2014, the Seahawks won the Super Bowl in his second season in 2013 and made it to another in 2014.

In the summer of 2015, Wilson agreed to a four-year, $87.6 million contract. That followed the awarding of sizable contracts to Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman in 2014 as well as to Chancellor in 2013 and 2013. Bobby Wagner received a new contract a few days later, and everyone had wages that were at the top of their range of their position.

Although there are several reasons why the wage cap was significantly impacted by those contracts starting in 2015, the Seahawks haven’t advanced to the Super Bowl since.

Schneider and coach Pete Carroll passionately discussed all the new tools the organisation has to try to assemble another winning squad after the Wilson deal last March.

It’s thrilling, said Schneider. “Our draught flexibility and cap flexibility are both very strong. It’s thrilling.

Wilson does indeed no longer count $26 million against the Seahawks’ cap in 2022 but does so entirely the following year. According to OvertheCap.com, the Seahawks will have $52 million in 2023, sixth most in the NFL, and a staggering $127 million in 2024.

Then there are all those other guys, such as the three players Seattle acquired from Denver in the form of tight end Noah Fant, defensive end Shelby Harris, and quarterback Drew Lock, as well as the four players that Seattle ultimately selected in this year’s draught after selling one of the selections. Denver’s first and second round choices in 2023 go to Seattle.

Of course, a reliable quarterback is what the Seahawks are lacking.

Denver had one and was prepared to spend a significant amount of money and players to acquire and maintain one.

When Wilson returns to Seattle for the start of the regular season on Sept. 12, the teams’ various strategies will serve as an intriguing case study in how to assemble an NFL squad.

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