Rob Maaddi, FISM News
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Russell Wilson celebrated his monster contract by praising Jesus.
“ALL THE GLORY TO JESUS!!! #HEisKING” Wilson wrote on Twitter.
The Denver Broncos gave the eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback a five-year, $245 million extension that includes a $50 million signing bonus. Wilson will receive $77 million in the first eight months of the new deal, and he gets $165 million in guarantees.
There’s No Body like You God! There will NEVER be! pic.twitter.com/SOaylOhixK
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) September 2, 2022
It’s the third-most guaranteed money in the NFL, behind Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed $230 million deal with Cleveland and the $189.5 million in guarantees that Kyler Murray received in his five-year, $230.5 million deal with Arizona.
Wilson, based on his successes and talent, could have asked for even more than his astronomical deal. Instead, he chose to leave some money on the table to make sure he gave general manager George Paton flexibility to build the roster within the salary cap.
“For me, it wasn’t really about how much, necessarily,” Wilson said Thursday. “It was about how many — how many Super Bowls we win. And that was really the focus. I had such an amazing first decade of my career, and the next decade I’m really excited about. To me, what it was really about was being able to win championships and being able to have enough space in the salary cap so George can make his magic.”
We want to make this a destination location. We have an amazing tradition, amazing football team, we have a lot of amazing new faces. These are world-class visionaries and world-class executors and winners. At the end of the day, you want to be surrounded by that. And what’s important, too, is making sure you surround yourself with amazing players.
Wilson hasn’t even played an official down with the Broncos, who acquired him from the Seattle Seahawks in a blockbuster trade earlier this year. The 33-year-old Wilson led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory in only his second season and came within one yard of winning another one.
Wilson now is under contract with Denver through the 2028 season for $296 million. The deal was finalized only three weeks after the league approved the $4.65 billion sale of the Broncos to the Walton-Penner ownership group. The sale is the largest amount ever paid for a professional sports franchise anywhere in the world.
“I’ve worked closely on this over the last three weeks,” Paton said. “And Greg (Penner) rolled up his sleeves and he was a big help: his support, his communication, his responsiveness, and, of course, the resources were instrumental into us getting this deal done.”
Wilson is one of the most outspoken Christians in the NFL. He told Faith On The Field Show last season his goal is to “love like Jesus.”
“I think that it’s so important in this world that I forgive, (and) in our Christian faith we’re called to love,” he said on the radio show. “We’re called to love and forgive. I think that God has given me the ability to do what I do, and to whom much is given much is required. In our relationships, we should be exuding love, in all socioeconomic statuses and communities, and races. That’s how Jesus came to this earth. He loved us and cared for us and sacrificed for us, so I think it’s important for me to be able to do that, too, to demonstrate that in some form or fashion every day.”
Wilson will make his regular-season debut with the Broncos on Sept. 12 in familiar territory. Denver opens the season on the road at Seattle, where Wilson played the first 10 seasons of his NFL career.
Wilson led the Seahawks to 113 victories, including the playoffs. No quarterback won more games in his first 10 NFL seasons.
“I came here knowing I was going to be ready to play on these two years (left on his contract), but I think to be able to get this done before the season, to have it all done, is just a blessing,” Wilson said of the new contract.