How underpaid is Russell Wilson? 40 quarterbacks will make more in 2015

There are 40 quarterbacks in the NFL who will be paid more than Russell Wilson in 2015.

By John Breech

Jun 21, 2015 at 3:36 pm ET • 5 min read

If Russell Wilson decides to go out to dinner with every other starting quarterback in the NFL sometime over the next six weeks, I'm guessing he probably won't be picking up the check and that's mainly because Wilson's making pennies compared to every other NFL starter.

If the Seahawks and Wilson don't work out a new deal before the 2015 season starts, Wilson will go into the year knowing he'll make less money in 2015 than 40 other quarterbacks.

Wilson's total pay of $1.542 million in 2015 will be less than quarterbacks like Blaine Gabbert ($2 million), Charlie Whitehurst ($2 million) and Bruce Gradkowski ($1.55 million).

Wilson will also be making three times less than backup quarterbacks like Chase Daniel ($3.8 million) and Mark Sanchez ($4.75 million).

Now you're probably starting to realize why Wilson's camp would love to get a deal done before the 2015 starts.

The reason it's worth noting these numbers now is because this past offseason, Wilson officially went from being a "bargain" to being "underpaid."

So what's the difference?

Wilson was a bargain from 2012 to 2014 because the Seahawks literally couldn't have given him more money even if they wanted to.

Under the terms of the CBA signed in 2011, a player taken in the NFL Draft isn't allowed to renegotiate their contract until after their third year at the earliest, meaning this offseason was the first time Wilson was even eligible to sign a new contract -- and that's where the underpaid part comes in.

Russell Wilson's Contract Details | PointAfter

Now that the Seahawks are allowed to pay Wilson more, they're underpaying him if they don't give him that money. The problem is, the two sides can't agree on Wilson's worth.

The argument against giving Wilson a ton of money is that the Seahawks believe their defense and running game have played a bigger part in their recent success than Wilson has.

The problem with thinking like that though is that it makes it sound like the Seahawks could plug any quarterback they want into the their offense and they could be contenders, something I don't exactly agree with.

I actually think someone like Peyton Manning wouldn't be as effective as Wilson in the Seahawks offense because the quarterback is always under pressure and Seattle doesn't have receivers who can get quick separation, something a guy like Manning would need if he's not getting any protection.

In his career, Russell Wilson has faced pressure on 43.2% of his dropbacks, more than any other QB over that span. pic.twitter.com/tN0ictkj2Q
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) June 21, 2015

The other big question is: How would Wilson do if he didn't have a top-ranked defense around him?

The Eagles had the 28th ranked defense in the NFL in 2014, but despite those defensive struggles, that's a team I could see Wilson leading to the playoffs. Personally, I feel that Wilson might be worth closer to what he thinks he's worth than what the Seahawks think he's worth.

The bottom line here is that if the Seahawks and Wilson don't get a deal done before the 2015 season starts, I think that looks worse on the Seahawks than it does on Wilson because it means the team is willingly and knowingly underpaying him.

How's Wilson supposed to trust a front office that's paying him less than 39 other quarterbacks in the NFL but willing to pay everyone else on the team?

Russell Wilson's Salary vs. Top 10 Highest Paid QBs | PointAfter

Not paying Wilson would be like going out to dinner and telling your server all night that he did an awesome job, then only tipping him three percent because the chef (Seahawks defense) and bartender (Seahawks rushing game) did all the work.

Does that mean the Seahawks should make Wilson the highest paid quarterback in the NFL? No, but they could make it possible for Wilson to be the the highest paid quarterback through incentives.

In Andy Dalton's contract, Dalton gets $1 million more per year if the Bengals reach the divisional playoffs, $500,000 more if they reach the AFC title game and $1.5 million more for a Super Bowl appearance.

If the Bengals reached the Super Bowl in 2015, Dalton would get $3 million extra in base salary over the final five years of his contract (2016-20) for a total of $15 million.

That doesn't mean Wilson should do a Dalton-like deal, but it does mean that a similar playoff incentive could be something that closes the gap between the two sides.

For instance, let's say the two sides agreed on a $18 million a year deal that bumps up to $22.5 million per year if the Seahawks reach the Super Bowl again. The first number would put Wilson in the top-10, then if the Seahawks reached the Super Bowl, he'd vault up to No. 1.

Unlike Dalton though, Wilson would get guaranteed money in line with a Top-5 quarterback.

As it stands though, Wilson is the most underpaid quarterback in the league and neither the Seahawks or Wilson should be comfortable going into 2015 knowing that.

Here's a look at each of the quarterbacks who will be making more than Wilson in 2015.

NFL QBs who will make more money than Russell Wilson in 2015 (Includes 2015 base salaries plus any applicable bonuses)

1. Ben Roethlisberger: $35.25 million (Base salary of $1 million plus $31 million signing bonus plus $3.25 million roster bonus)

2. Cam Newton: $31 million

3. Matt Ryan: $23.5 million

4. Jay Cutler: $20.5 million

5. Drew Brees: $19 million

6. Eli Manning: $17.5 million

7. Tony Romo: $17 million

8. Philip Rivers: $15.75 million

9. Peyton Manning: $15 million

10. Sam Bradford: $12.99 million