How would that impact the Patriots?"Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson will be a free agent after the 2019 season and he’s issued an ultimatum to his franchise: either reach a new long-term contract by the end of April 15th Youth Chase Winovich Jersey , or Wilson will no longer be interested in signing with the Seahawks for the long-term.There’s always a lot of bluster around contract negotiations, but what if this is the real deal There’s a chance that the Seahawks won’t reach a long-term deal with Wilson, according to Peter King in Football Morning in America. And it would shake the foundations and trajectory of the entire Seahawks franchise. Emphasis added.This means that the Seahawks could keep Wilson for future years if they’re willing to franchise him for multiple seasons in a row, but today is the final day to reach a long-term deal between the two parties.Wilson wants a record- and norm-breaking contract from the Seahawks and, quite frankly, there’s no player more likely to receive such a deal over the next couple of seasons. Wilson is one of the five best quarterbacks in the league, a Super Bowl champion, and regularly carries the Seattle offense in ways that other less-mobile quarterbacks would not be able.With the Chiefs and Texans still having three more years of control of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson respectively, and with Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, and Dak Prescott still having a lot to prove, and with the likes of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, and, uh, Eli Manning all in the last chapters of their careers (and, yes, all of these players could get new contracts after the 2019 season), Wilson finds himself in a unique scenario. or a player since terms can always be modified. Perhaps Wilson would get a certain percentage of the cap for each game played, or a percentage of each statistical milestone. The only difference is the paperwork gives a percentage instead of a finalized figure.And with the salary cap increasing each year (dating back to 2014, the salary cap has grown by a minimum of $10 million per year), and a new CBA likely to change the contract landscape Womens Chase Winovich Jersey , Wilson reasonably wants to be able to take a slice of that pie.Where should Wilson start the negotiations? Well, let’s look at his last contract. Wilson signed a 4-year, $87.6 million extension with the Seahawks ahead of the 2015 season. The total salary cap over those four seasons from 2016-19 total $687.7 million. So Wilson’s contract over that span equaled 12.7% of the team’s salary cap. On a year-by-year basis, he’s accounted for 12.0%, 8.7%, 13.4%, and currently 13.3% of the salary cap.I looked at the existing veteran contracts and found, based on imperfect math and projections for the salary cap, that only a few players exceed 14% of the cap: Aaron Rodgers (15.6%), Kirk Cousins (14.9%), and Matt Ryan (14.3%). Jimmy Garoppolo (13.8%), Matthew Stafford (13.6%), and Andrew Luck (13.1%) are good comparables, too. Drew Brees (13.7%) and Tom Brady (13.4%) are also in the 13+ club, but on short-term deals, while Joe Flacco (13.8%) is an albatross.Why not just lock Wilson in for, say, an increased 14% of the salary cap for the next five years, with a portion of that 14% tied to a signing bonus and incentives like games played, accolades, and statistical production?Other teams could also borrow this same model. All Pro caliber quarterbacks can get 14%, the remaining top 10 can get 13%, and the other franchise quarterbacks get 12%. This is a spectrum, of course Authentic Chase Winovich Jersey , with lots of room for negotiation between those points.Only four veteran quarterbacks fall below a projected 12%: Cam Newton at 11.7%; Alex Smith is at 11.5%; Nick Foles is at 10.8%; and Andy Dalton at 9.3%. This sounds about right.It should be noted that there is not a great track record of postseason success among teams that invest a high percentage of their salary cap in their quarterback, although there’s always room to massage the cap to reduce the impact.Dating back to 2011, the first year of the new CBA, there are four categories of quarterbacks to reach the final four (what I consider to be “postseason success”). There are players on rookie contracts, veterans on super cheap deals, veterans on super expensive deals, and Tom Brady.There are 10 quarterbacks on cheap rookie deals, with Matt Ryan’s 2012 season an exception because his rookie deal pre-dated the new CBA, that account for less than 7% of the cap. These cheap rookies average 3.1% of the cap.For the cheap veterans, there’s the 2011-12 49ers that had Alex Smith on a cheap veteran deal before yielding to Colin Kaepernick’s rookie deal; Carson Palmer with the 2015 Cardinals at 5.0%; there’s 2015 Cam Newton who was in the first year of his veteran contract at 8.7%; and there’s the 2017 Vikings with Sam Bradford and Case Keenum combining for 11.7% of the cap. This group averages out to 7.1% of the cap.The eight veterans on expensive deals range from Eli Manning as 11.6% of the Giants’ cap in 2011 to Ben Roethlisberger getting 15.2% of the Steelers cap in 2016. This categories averages out to nearly 13% of the cap.And then there’s Tom Brady, who has reached the postseason in every year of the new CBA, averaging 9.6% of the Patriots cap over these years. He’s been as cheap as 6.6% in 2012 and as expensive as 12.2% this past season, but the majority of his seasons are within spitting distance on 9.6%.What does this mean? Teams can be successful with a wide variety of cap expenditures on quarterbacks, but only three of these 32 teams reached the final four spending more than 12.5% of their cap on the quarterback (2016 Steelers, 2016 Falcons, 2018 Saints). Only one team won the Super Bowl spending more than 12% of their quarterback (2018 Patriots).If the Patriots and Brady are interested in reaching a long-term contract based on a percentage of the salary cap, then a nice 10% would make a lot of sense for both sides.Because the biggest concern the Seahawks should have paying Wilson a percentage of the cap is not different from their concern if they paid him a fixed amount over the next five seasons. The real concern is that investing so much cap space in a single player reduces the opportunity to bolster other positions on the roster and makes the team more reliant on a singular player. The best teams at the end of the year are the ones that are the healthiest, and there’s no reliable way to predict for injury- so building for depth is often the smartest option.The Seahawks are in a tough place because a player like Wilson isn’t easily replaceable, but paying him his market value impacts how they can flesh out the rest of the roster. This is the problem that every team with a franchise quarterback has to face, unless that quarterback is willing to take less than market value, like Tom Brady in New England. This is the problem that makes dynasties in the NFL nearly impossible.Wilson deserves a top five contract for his position, whether that’s through a percentage of the salary cap or a raw figure, like Matt Ryan’s $150 million. The Seahawks are also right to hesitate. I expect the two sides to reach an agreement that doesn’t involve a percentage of the cap, but makes Wilson one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league. It might be groundbreaking Chase Winovich Jersey Boys , but probably not in the way Wilson would have hoped. New England reached its roster maximum yesterday."Yesterday, the New England Patriots announced the signing of undrafted rookie free agent wide receiver Xavier Ubosi — a move that put the team’s roster at 90 men, the maximum allowed during the offseason, for the first time since the NFL draft concluded a little more than a week ago. This means that now is the perfect time to take a closer look at who is on the team as it stands right now.Offense (45)Quarterback (4)Fourth-round draft pick Jarrett Stidham makes for an interesting addition to the Patriots’ quarterback group behind starter/future Hall of Famer Tom Brady. His development over the course of the offseason will be interesting to watch, especially as it relates to veteran backup Brian Hoyer and last year’s seventh-round choice Danny Etling.Running back (7)Already one of the deepest positions on the team, the Patriots decided to add Damien Harris on day two of the draft. The rookie will likely take on a rotational role on early downs and in short-yardage situations alongside top option Sony Michel. James White and Rex Burkhead, meanwhile, will resume their usual roles as the change-of-pace backs. James Develin returns as the NFL’s premier fullback, while the rest of the position depth chart will have to fight for its roster lives this summer.Wide receiver (12)The current personnel turnover at the wide receiver position left only three true roster locks on the team in veteran Julian Edelman, first-round rookie N’Keal Harry, and special teams captain Matthew Slater. The rest of the group will need to prove its value to the Patriots over the next four months — with Phillip Dorsett having the best chances of emerging with one of the spots in his hands due to his experience in the system.Tight end (5)Without Rob Gronkowski, the tight end group is a thin and unexperienced one in New England’s system: the five men combine for exactly zero in-game appearances for the Patriots. Lacking a true all-around player like Gronkowski, the group is basically split into receivers (Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Stephen Anderson) and blockers (Ryan Izzo, Andrew Beck). Free agency signing Matt LaCosse has probably the best potential to serve as a hybrid in the mold of Gronk.Offensive tackle (8)Following the departure of Trent Brown in free agency, left tackle remains a question mark at this point in time. 2018 first-round pick Isaiah Wynn, coming off a year-long stint on injured reserve due to a torn Achilles, is the front-runner to earn the spot with third-round rookie Yodny Cajuste and former undrafted free agent Cole Crosten as the top backups. On the other side, meanwhile, Marcus Cannon will again hold down the fort.Offensive interior (9)The Patriots’ interior offensive line is one of the best in football, with center/team captain David Andrews and guards Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason all being among the NFL’s best young players at their respective positions. Beyond the top trio, fourth-round rookie Hjalte Froholdt and veterans Ted Karras and James Ferentz provide quality depth. All in all, the nine-man group is one of the strongest — literally and figuratively — on the team.Defense (41)Defensive interior (7)The free agency addition of Mike Pennel helps make up for the losses of Malcom Brown and Danny Shelton, and gives the Patriots a big run-stuffer to play alongside Lawrence Guy. Adam Butler will again see primarily passing-down snaps Youth Julian Edelman Jerseys , with rookie Byron Cowart expected to fill a similar role. However, the fifth-round pick is not guaranteed a spot on the team and will have to compete against the other defensive tackles for what appears to be at best one spot on the 53-man roster.Defensive edge (9)Over the course of the offseason, the Patriots basically filled the spots vacated by Trey Flowers and Adrian Clayborn by trading for Michael Bennett and drafting Chase Winovich in round three. Together with Deatrich Wise Jr. and John Simon, they are expected to form the core of this year’s defensive edge group. Derek Rivers and Keionta Davis, meanwhile, are dark-horse candidates that need to take a step forward in order to justify being kept on the team through roster cuts.Linebacker (8)One year ago, the linebacker position was perceived to be one of the thinnest on the team. However, the return of Dont’a Hightower in combination with some excellent play from Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts having his best season as a pro helped turn the position’s fortunes around in 2018. One player to keep an eye on this summer is Ja’Whaun Bentley: the 2018 fifth-round pick looked very solid in limited action during his rookie year — even serving as the on-field signal caller at one point — and could be in line for a bigger role.Cornerback (9)Arguably the best cornerback depth chart in the entire NFL, the Patriots feature an intriguing mix of established talent and developmental upside. Stephon Gilmore and Jason McCourty are the elder statesmen, with J.C. Jackson as the emerging third option. Second-round rookie Joejuan Williams will likely see rotational snaps to start his career, while the usage of Jonathan Jones — he was outstanding in the Super Bowl as a corner/safety hybrid — and 2018 second-round pick Duke Dawson will be fun to watch.Safety (8)The Patriots added Terrence Brooks and undrafted rookie Malik Gant this offseason but the core of the safety group remains intact: Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon are the top three — a trio that might see some help from aforementioned cornerbacks Jonathan Jones and Joejuan Williams, depending on the opponent and the situation. While the safety group needs an infusion of youth in the future, it is still one of the most solid groups you’ll find in the league.Specialists (4)After re-signing Stephen Gostkowksi and Ryan Allen in free agency, the specialists group around long snapper Joe Cardona could remain intact for the fifth straight year — that is if Allen does not lose his spot to fifth-round rookie punter Jake Bailey, who also has experience as a kickoff specialist and could help lift some pressure off Gostkowski in this area.NFL Pathway Program (1)The Patriots were assigned fullback Jakob Johnson through the NFL’s Pathway Program this offseason: he can practice with the team all summer long, but does not count against the 90-man limit. If he fails to make the team — which seems like the most realistic outcome given the Patriots’ employment of James Develin — Johnson will transfer to New England’s practice squad as an eleventh player.Suspended (1)Josh Gordon remains indefinitely suspended, but would undoubtably be a huge addition to the team if reinstated: he is the team’s most prolific wide receiver outside of Julian Edelman, and the prototypical X-receiver in New England’s scheme. Adding him to the current core of Edelman and rookie N’Keal Harry would make the Patriots’ receiving group a lot deeper — and more dangerous to defend.