Without getting in specific details, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider seemed to indicate the organization will be somewhat cautious in what they offer quarterback Russell Wilson in his ongoing negotiations for a new contact.
Speaking on KIRO (97.3 FM) radio in Seattle on Wednesday, Schneider said they must be mindful of the salary cap and the team's future.
"Every negotiation is unique in and of itself and this is no different," Schneider said. "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. What I can tell you is that this is the ultimate team sport. We have a track record of rewarding our players that we recognize as core players."
Wilson is entering his fourth NFL season, having led the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowls. He is scheduled to make $1.5 million this season, but a new deal is expected to pay him over $20 million a year and more than $100M overall.
"We want to be a consistent championship-caliber football team, one that the community and the Northwest is extremely proud of every year and has high expectations and hopes for," Schneider said. "We have to be able to protect ourselves as we go and make smart decisions in trying to keep this whole thing together as long as we possibly can.
"I think you've seen over the last several years now a philosophy of competition at every position and trying to acquire as many players as you possibly can and to make it fit. We've done this since Day 1."
Schneider made a comparison to two players the team released when he and coach Pete Carroll arrived in 2010.
"When we got here we had to make some very tough cap decisions with [defensive end] Cory Redding and [wide receiver] Nate Burleson,'' Schneider said. "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. 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."