Why Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson Deserve NFL's Richest QB Contracts

For Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, this is a time of happiness and excitement, as his team is in the Super Bowl for a second straight season.

For Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts, it's a time of disappointment, as another season was ended with a blowout loss to the New England Patriots in the playoffs.

Well, turn that frown upside down, Andy. No matter what happens when the Seahawks and Patriots meet in Super Bowl XLIX, both of these quarterbacks are about to become very happy men.

Because they're about to become the two richest men ever to play the position.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported before Sunday's AFC Championship Game that the Colts were already working on the parameters of a mega-deal for Luck:

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Many around the league expect a completed deal would make Luck the highest-paid player in the game, at a figure that could be right around $25 million per year.

Conversations between Luck and the Colts have been ongoing, even though nothing can be finalized until the start of the new league year March 10.

But both sides want to make it happen and are expected to keep trying to make it happen until a new deal is in place, locking Luck in Indianapolis for years to come.

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Meanwhile, one of Wilson's teammates made it clear to Danny O'Neil of ESPN Radio that he expects Wilson to experience a similar windfall this spring:

Of course, none of this should come as a surprise to anyone. After all, all Luck and Wilson have done to this point in their careers is lead their respective teams to the playoffs in each of their three NFL seasons.

Player	Comp. %	PYds	TD	INT	Rate	RS W/L	PS W/L
Luck	58.6	12957	86	43	86.6	33-15	3-3
Wilson	63.4	9950	72	26	98.6	36-12	6-1*

Three years also happens to be the amount of time after which NFL teams can renegotiate rookie contracts, and while the Colts and Seahawks have benefited from team-friendly, new-CBA deals for their quarterbacks, the time to pay the piper has come due.

Now, the Colts have known this day was coming since the moment they strolled to the podium to make Andrew Luck the first pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Luck was the single most talked-about college prospect at the quarterback position in recent memory.

In fact, ESPN's Mel Kiper called Luck the most can't-miss prospect since John Elway almost three decades before.

This is the quarterback whom the Colts moved on from Peyton Manning for.

And Luck's done nothing to make the Colts regret that decision.

In 2014, Luck finished third in the NFL with 4.761 passing yards. His 40 touchdown passes led the league, and Luck led the Colts to their first conference title game since they lost Super Bowl XLIV to the New Orleans Saints.

Yes, Luck has had his fair share of struggles against the Patriots. That's putting it mildly, after Sunday's 45-7 beatdown dropped Luck to 0-4 in his career against the Tom Brady and the Pats.

But, the fact remains that if you built a machine, programmed all of the qualities that NFL teams want in a quarterback into it and pulled the big red lever...

Out would pop Andrew Luck.

And the craziest part?

Russell Wilson might deserve his fat new contract even more.

After all, Wilson has already led his team to the promised land. However, even after leading the Seahawks to a second straight Super Bowl trip with Sunday's wild win over the Packers, William Rhoden of The New York Times wrote that Wilson still faces an uphill battle where perception is concerned:

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Wilson, along with Luck and Robert Griffin III, were part of the illustrious quarterback class of 2012. In the years since, the order — in terms of reverence — had always been Luck, who had been the first overall pick that year, and then Griffin, the No. 2 choice. Wilson was actually the sixth quarterback drafted in 2012, in the third round, long after players like Brandon Weeden and Brock Osweiler.

But with Griffin enduring a nightmarish three seasons in Washington, Luck and Wilson have risen above the other picks from 2012. Luck, who stepped seamlessly into Peyton Manning’s shoes with the Colts, has been touted as the best of the two, while Wilson has been marginalized as a game manager who benefits from the great team around him. Even after he led Seattle to a Super Bowl victory last year in his second season in the league, Wilson was rarely mentioned in the discussion of the league’s so-called elite quarterbacks.

Sunday’s performance — forgettable for 58 minutes and then flawless when it mattered most — may not change that, since most observers are likely to point out that Green Bay defeated itself.

So it goes.

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Well, that perception is poppycock.

Yes, Wilson isn't the ideal size for a quarterback. Yes, he was "only" a third-round pick. Yes, he has the advantage of running back Marshawn Lynch and one of the NFL's best defenses.

And to be fair, for most of Sunday's game with Green Bay, Wilson looked...not good.

However, he has also topped 3,000 passing yards in each of his three NFL seasons, with a sterling 72-to-26 touchdown-to-interception ratio. His 849 rushing yards led all NFL quarterbacks in 2014.

Per Pro Football Reference, he's already led 10 successful fourth-quarter comebacks. Before Sunday's missteps, Wilson had the highest postseason passer rating in NFL history.

And even after Sunday's missteps, Wilson still led the Seahawks to victory—because he's shown to be about as clutch as quarterbacks get.

And that's the thing, whether we're talking about the prototypical passer with talent galore (Luck) or the young scrambler who already has a ring on his finger (Wilson), Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson have already done more in their short careers than several signal-callers with much bigger bank accounts.

And Luck and Wilson have only just scratched the surface.

So, while $25 million a season and $60 million (or more) guaranteed may seem like staggering amounts of money, the Colts and Seahawks are going to pay it without thinking twice.

Because they have what every NFL team wants but very few have: a true franchise quarterback.

And when that true franchise quarterback is just entering his prime and/or already playing in his second Super Bowl?

Well, you can't really put a price on that.

Gary Davenport is an NFL Analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPManor.