3. RUSSELL WILSON, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS – $35 MILLION:
This Super Bowl-winning passer from the Seattle Seahawks made headlines by setting his own contract deadline for his team to get a deal done. He was also rumored to potentially have a contract that took into account salary cap increases. That didn’t ultimately happen, but the fact it was even talked about could be groundbreaking for future such deals in the NFL.
As for Wilson’s contract, he signed a four-year, $140 million deal featuring $70 million guaranteed, $35 million of which he’ll get this year. The Seahawks did what they had to do.