Seahawks or 49ers: who really overpaid at quarterback?

Who spent more wisely on their quarterback, the Seahawks or the Niners? The question was pretty well hidden, but I’ll be glad to answer.

This title may seem like the worst clickbait for Seahawks fans. Honestly, I’m simply answering a question posited by a site that covers the 49ers. Now, they didn’t exactly come out and ask something as silly as that, but the question is there for those who read between the lines. Or read the teaser. Even though the answer is obvious, it just seems to need a clear answer.

The article in question is actually worth your while as a Seahawks fan. It gives a pretty good breakdown of the Seahawks from the prospective of a 49ers fan. Really, it’s worth reading. I want to be clear I’m not slamming the author, Patrick Holloway. Nor am I giving any grief to the site itself, Niners Nation. Although for those few misguided Niners fans who are reading this, I’ll say you can’t beat our frenemies at ninernoise.com.

I will take exception with the teaser on the Niners Nation site. Rather than something like, “Previewing the overrated Seahawks” or “10 Reasons to hate Seattle”, they went with this bon mot: “Did Russell Wilson’s contract cripple the Seahawks?” Wow, guys. Consider the gauntlet thrown. Sorry, but I just couldn’t resist a response.

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Again, Mr. Holloway barely mentions Wilson’s contract. He mentions that Wilson got paid, and that’s it. It doesn’t seem he thinks the Seahawks crippled the team at all. In fact, he grudgingly says several good things about the Hawks. For a Niners fan, he’s quite rational. He actually praises (and kinda curses) Russell Wilson, as a rival fan should. It really is a good read.

Seahawks invested in a pretty good player

That being said, the teaser is still out there. Now, whether the Seahawks have crippled the team with Wilson’s contract is a matter up for discussion. You can find plenty of articles on that topic. Go ahead, take a look here and here. Depending on how you juggle the numbers, Wilson’s salary will account for anywhere from 13 to nearly 20 percent of the Seahawks salary cap going forward. I’ll just go with spotrac.com for my source.

As you can see on that wonderful site, Wilson’s contract averages $35 million per year for a total of $140 million. Hey, even for a guy who has the second-highest passer rating ever in the NFL (100.3), that’s a lot of money. It’s a lot of money, even for a guy who’s won 75 games in his first seven seasons. Did I mention his passer rating in the fourth quarter is 109.7? Yeah, it’s a lot of money, but he’s pretty good.

Now let’s look at what the 49ers have done. Wilson’s making some serious cash, true, but it isn’t like Jimmy Garoppolo is going to go broke. I think of Garoppolo as the NFL’s version of Rick Martel. You old school wrestling fans will get it, and see the resemblance. For football purists, think back to Scott Mitchell or more recently, Matt Flynn. Like Garoppolo, both quarterbacks played great when they had to step in as a starter and parlayed that success into big contracts. Mitchell was easily the better of the two, but his deal with Detroit is still cited as one of the worst contracts in league history.

Now, don’t get too wound up, you two Niners fans reading this. Garoppolo is certainly better than Mitchell. But, is he really worth $27.5 million per year? That’s more than Andrew Luck, or Philip Rivers, or Tom Brady, or Drew Brees. His total contract, $137.5 million, is more than anyone other than Wilson and Matt Ryan. And what’s his track record again?

Garoppolo has been in the league for five years. Yes, he was backing up Tom Brady for most of that time, and he was injured last year. Regardless, he’s won eight games. When he signed the contract, he had completed all of 94 passes in his career and won twice. He played great in 2018 and played okay in 2019 before he was injured. He certainly didn’t look like a $27 million quarterback, though.

Garoppolo may turn out to be the next Steve Young. I’m sure that’s what Niners fans are hoping for, and what Seahawks fans are dreading. For you Niners fans, I’m just saying before you worry about Seattle crippling their team with a guy who’s won 75 games, I’d check your investment in a player who’s won eight. That comes to $1.87 million per win for Wilson and $17.19 million per win for Garoppolo. I think Seattle made a wiser investment.