Why Russell Wilson's megadeal is unprecedented — and why it isn't

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson just got paid — a lot. The Super Bowl champion and perennial MVP-candidate signed a four-year extension with Seattle that amounts to $140 million plus a $65 million signing bonus. But the deal is slightly more complicated, and not everyone thinks it's such a great contract for Wilson or NFL players going forward. Here are two reasons why the megadeal is nothing to scoff at and two why it didn't live up to expectations.

It's record breaking — Let's not overthink this. Wilson's deal makes him the highest paid player in NFL history, full stop. He surpasses Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers with an annual average salary of $35 million per season. His signing bonus also bests Rodgers.

It helps his fellow quarterbacks — There's a growing sense among NFL analysts that the best way to build a team is to have a good, but inexpensive young quarterback playing on their rookie contracts. That allows teams more financial flexibility to find talent for other positions. But the Seahawks committed to Wilson, signaling that teams still might believe that having an elite quarterback is the way to go. It looks like quarterback salaries will continue to increase in the near future.

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He could've gotten more — Sports Illustrated writes that because the position has a lower risk of injury, quarterbacks won't start maximizing their earnings until they opt for a series of short-term deals, rather than signing for the sake of long-term stability. Wilson ultimately opted for the latter.

It's not revolutionary — Originally, Wilson wanted to really shake things up by signing a deal that would have tied his contract to the salary cap. That is, he'd get paid based on how the cap fluctuates each year. That didn't happen, nor did he receive unprecedented guaranteed money. So, the deal is impressive but, per Sports Illustrated, it doesn't set a precedent that could help secure more player-friendly contracts in the future.