GM: Russell Wilson talks underway
Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider said the team has begun contract negotiations with quarterback Russell Wilson, who Schneider said "gets it and wants to win."
Schneider also said the Seahawks want running back Marshawn Lynch back, but the GM doesn't know if Lynch wants to continue his career.
"Obviously we think he's a helluva player," Schneider said of Lynch on Tuesday on 710 ESPN Seattle radio. "We want to have him back. He knows that, and his representatives know that. He knows if he comes back he's not going to be playing at the same number he's scheduled to make.
"Now, whether or not he wants to play next year, I can't answer that. I don't know if he knows at this juncture. He needs to find out where he's at. Especially with the way this guy runs the ball, it's taxing on his body. So he has to reset himself and get in that mind frame and get prepared for another season of this."
Lynch is in the final year of a four-year deal that will pay him $7 million in 2015. Lynch likely wants an extension if he returns. The Seahawks are willing to discuss it, but they need to know his plans.
"We would like to work this out as quickly as we can so we can move forward," Schneider said. "It may not happen overnight. He is extremely important to what we have here and the decisions we make moving forward in the offseason."
The Seahawks are talking to Wilson about a new deal that likely will make him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. But Schneider insinuated Monday that Wilson might be willing to take less to help the organization keep the key components of the team together.
"We are going to do what's best for the organization," Schneider said. "That's the No. 1 thing. I think Russell Wilson wants to win championships. Russell knows there are certain dominoes that have to fall in place. He knows it. He gets it. He wants to win for a long time."
Wilson is in the final year of his rookie contract and is scheduled to make $837,000 in 2015. His new deal could reach in excess of $20 million a year and more than $100 million overall, along with more than $50 million guaranteed.
"I've talked to his agent [Mark Rodgers]," Schneider said. "I'm not going to get into specifics of contract negotiations other than to say that we're going to do what's best for this organization, and that doesn't mean you do exactly what everybody else has done around the league. I think we've proven we do things in the manner we want to attack it."
