SEATTLE, WA - MARCH 21: (L-R) Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks NFL players Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson speak on on stage during We Day at Key Arena on March 21, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images)
Perhaps there was another reason why Russell Wilson's contract negotiations dragged out until almost the last minute.
Wilson's agent, Mark Rodgers, appeared on Pro Football Talk Live to discuss the situation and acknowledged that his client took less money so the Seahawks could also take care of teammate Bobby Wagner.
"Russell was very clear to me, just as he was about the deadline, that he didn't want to do anything that was going to have this team broken up," Rodgers said. "He didn't have to have every last dollar as long as he was paid fairly and the Seahawks had some flexibility to try to keep those players."
Wilson ended up signing a four-year, $87.6 million extension with $60 million guaranteed. Wagner, who had also been lobbying for a new contract, also got his wish in signing a four-year, $43 million extension.
It's been clear Wilson is a leader on the field, able to galvanize teammates and make others around him better.
More kudos to him for being willing to sign for less in order to keep a key defensive player like Wagner around.
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