Russell Wilson and the Seahawks are trying to hash out a contract. Seattle has been to back-to-back Super Bowls, and there’s no doubt he deserves a lot of the credit. There’s also no doubt he’s benefitted from behind surrounded by a great supporting cast – and when the team starts paying him $20 million-plus more per year, it will hamper the ability to surround him with that kind of contract.
Wilson right now is under contract to play in 2015 for just $1.5 million, so he’s taken out of an insurance policy to guard against injury.
That’s a good idea. While Wilson is elusive and quick and seemingly has a great feel for when to get rid of the ball (he’s started every game the last three years) he nonetheless gets hit a lot. That’s because of the combination of his tendency to hang onto the ball, running around trying to buy time, and the team doesn’t have a particularly good offensive line. That line probably will be worse this year. They traded center Max Unger, and guard James Carpenter signed with the Jets.
The league releases stats showing the number of times a quarterback is hit – not necessarily sacked, but hit by defenders. And according to those numbers, in each of the last two years, Wilson has been one of the most-hit quarterbacks in the league. He was No. 1 (last) in 2013, and only two quarterbacks were hit more frequently last year (the Bucs and Jags).
| MOST HIT QUARTERBACKS (last 5 yrs) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Team | Hits | Plays | Hit% |
| 2010 | Jacksonville | 110 | 507 | 22% |
| 2014 | Tampa Bay | 124 | 583 | 21% |
| 2011 | Seattle | 114 | 559 | 20% |
| 2013 | Seattle | 94 | 464 | 20% |
| 2013 | Buffalo | 108 | 570 | 19% |
| 2011 | St. Louis | 114 | 604 | 19% |
| 2014 | Jacksonville | 118 | 628 | 19% |
| 2014 | Washington | 113 | 605 | 19% |
| 2013 | NY Jets | 98 | 527 | 19% |
| 2014 | Seattle | 91 | 496 | 18% |
| 2011 | Miami | 95 | 521 | 18% |
| 2013 | Indianapolis | 109 | 614 | 18% |
| 2012 | Philadelphia | 118 | 666 | 18% |
| 2010 | Chicago | 92 | 522 | 18% |
| 2014 | NY Jets | 96 | 545 | 18% |
| 2010 | San Francisco | 95 | 544 | 17% |
| 2010 | Carolina | 93 | 534 | 17% |
| 2012 | Indianapolis | 116 | 669 | 17% |
| 2012 | Kansas City | 89 | 515 | 17% |
| 2011 | Washington | 108 | 632 | 17% |
| 2010 | Buffalo | 94 | 553 | 17% |
| 2014 | Minnesota | 96 | 568 | 17% |
| 2010 | Washington | 110 | 651 | 17% |
| 2012 | Washington | 80 | 475 | 17% |
| 2013 | Houston | 113 | 675 | 17% |
Those figures don't include quarterback runs -- just pass plays.
—Ian Allan