Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider has admitted that his side will have to use an "outside the box" approach to quarterback Russell Wilson's contract.
The Seahawks are reportedly ready to make the 26-year-old the highest-paid player in the NFL with a deal in the region of $25m (£16.2m) per year.
However, such a contract would limit Seattle's ability to keep other members of their roster in place who have helped them reach the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons, and Schneider is confident that Wilson understands the complexity of the situation.
"I think Russell Wilson wants to win championships. We talk about being a consistent championship-calibre football team, and that means thinking outside the box a lot of times," Schneider told KIRO-FM.
"We will do that with Russell. Russell knows there are certain dominoes that have to fall in line or fall in place. He knows it. He gets it. He wants to win. He wants to win for a long time."
Wilson has thrown for 9,950 yards along with 72 touchdowns to 26 interceptions in his three seasons in the NFL.
Simon Sinclair
