Realistically, the Seattle Seahawks have no choice other than to make Russell Wilson one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL with his upcoming contract extension. He has led the team to consecutive Super Bowl berths, including one win, and the cost of losing him in free agency and having to find a replacement would be far too great. You simply can't contend for championships in the NFL without an above-average quarterback, no matter how good the rest of a team's roster is. And Seattle's is good, particularly on defense -- they've led the NFL in total defense in each of the past two seasons.
The reality is just because he's about to be paid like an elite quarterback doesn't mean Wilson is one. In fact, there are several pieces of evidence that show he falls far short of that level. Let's take a look.
1. His Total QBR is comparable to that of a mid-level QB.
ESPN's Total QBR is a metric that takes rushing play production into account and is thus normally considered to be more favorable for mobile quarterbacks than passer rating, yet Wilson hasn't posted dominant numbers here. He ranked 13th in this category last season (62.4) and placed 13th here in 2013 (58.9).