Russell Wilson had every intention of staying in Seattle.
One day after inking a four-year extension worth $140 million to become the NFL's highest-paid player, the Seahawks quarterback reflected on his thought process before the deal went down as he addressed the media alongside general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll.
"I wanted to be in Seattle," Wilson said Wednesday, via the team's official website . "It’s just because really from the beginning of my professional career, it started here and my goal was to end it here. My goal is to have a lasting impression on this city, to be able to make a lot of people’s lives (better) — to cheer at the top of their lungs at football games and hopefully win a lot of Super Bowls.
"When it came down to it, it was a no brainer for me to want to be in Seattle and I want to be a Seahawk for life. That was kind of my mentality."
Wilson, selected out of Wisconsin in the third round of the 2012 draft, has guided the Seahawks to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons and a Super Bowl victory after the 2013 season. He has averaged 28 touchdown passes and has a career passer rating of 100.3 in addition to five Pro Bowl selections.
Hard to believe he still has at least a decade left in the tank, barring any significant setbacks or injuries.
"I think I'm just starting," Wilson said. "That's the fun part of this. It's been pretty cool for the first seven years of my career, but I feel like the glass is still full, and there’s a lot more, and hopefully we can be on the overflow, in the sense of going where we want to go and how we want to do it.
"Just turning 30, I feel like I am just beginning. So hopefully I can play here for another 10, 15 years."