We might not realize it at the moment, but the negotiations between Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks are quickly becoming some of the most interesting -- and entertaining -- in recent memory, especially when it comes to the quarterback position.
First, there was talk floated of a fully guaranteed baseball-style contract, a ground-breaking idea that could still eventually change the landscape of big-money deals.
Then, there was the poorly-veiled threat by Wilson that he could once again play baseball.
Now, we have this from general manager John Schneider.
"Every negotiation is unique in and of itself and this is no different," Schneider said Wednesday on KIRO-FM. "Ultimate team sport, he's our quarterback, we'd love him to be our quarterback. But the thing is, we need to keep as many of these guys together as we possibly can."
He added: "When we got here (back in 2010) we had to make some very tough cap decisions with Cory Redding and Nate Burleson. They were two guys that we had a lot of respect for, but where we were on our cap at the time, we had to make decisions. And then we had a couple years without a cap and now we're back in a world with a salary cap and we need to be cognizant of that."
Of course, this is all ridiculous. If Wilson isn't a member of the Seahawks for the foreseeable future, it will be one of the great missed opportunities in all of sports.
Yes, Schneider was able to build a team that made it to two consecutive Super Bowls in part because Wilson's contract was so cheap, but he obviously saw this coming. There's a number he's willing to hit that he just hasn't been pushed to yet.
There's also a number Wilson will accept that he just hasn't accepted yet.
In the meantime, we'll watch as both sides draw inspiration from some of the more enjoyable negotiating playbooks in NFL history.
See you all in training camp, Russell and John.
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