The Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson are at that inevitable place contracts often lead. For the home team, it's about how much and when to spend. For the QB, it’s about how much is guaranteed and in his pocket on signing day.

Wilson has been a stand-up guy in Seattle and is looking to get paid. He has most certainly earned it. But in the National Football League, that doesn't always mean what it should. For the Seahawks, a team not necessarily in rebuilding mode, it's about how good they can be in 2019. It's about the potential of winning the NFC West. It's also about how close they are to making a legitimate Super Bowl run.

This also means signing Wilson by April 15 should not be a priority in Seattle.

How do the Seahawks stack up in the division and the NFC?

The question for the Seahawks is about where they are in a division with a clear leader in the Los Angeles Rams, and an up-and-coming squad in the San Francisco 49ers. LA is clearly the best in the West and will be for the foreseeable future.

Further, when scanning the NFC as a whole, how close are they to teams like the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys?

Likely not very.

This isn't to say the Seahawks should cut bait with Russell Wilson. But as an organization closer to .500 than winning a Lombardi Trophy, what is the hurry in locking up a ton of money in their QB position if it might be better to wait and see what happens at the end of the 2019 season?

Additionally, and as it has been suggested, Wilson setting an arbitrary date simply to see where the organization is with him and the team as a whole could help make things clearer for both parties.

If trends mean anything, it's worth paying attention to what the Seahawks do with Wilson. In the last two years, teams like the Rams and Philadelphia Eagles went to a Super Bowl with quarterbacks not occupying the top of their respective payrolls. While that scenario went 1-1 with the Eagles winning and Rams losing, it's worth noting the starting QBs were not the highest-paid in the league or even in the top 10.

Ask the Ravens how Joe Flacco worked out for them after a monster payday. After some years of mediocrity, he's in Denver now after losing his job to a promising rookie.

And therein lies the rub.

Rookie QB options could be available in the 2020 NFL Draft for the Seahawks

2020 could be a good year for rookie quarterbacks; certainly better than what QB-needy teams in 2019 are looking at.

Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jake Fromm, K.J. Costello, and Jacob Eason could be better investments over the next five seasons beginning in 2020 than Wilson is on April 15, 2019 moving forward.

Why not wait? Why not see how the upcoming season plays out and determine if Aaron Rodgers money ($33.5 million per season) is the direction Seattle should go? Look at how things have played out in Green Bay and in Minnesota with Kirk Cousins before diving into the deep end of the pool with a monster QB contract.

In the case of Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks could just wait, and if need be, go the franchise tag option. With an ever-changing landscape in the NFL, the need to jump in head first is no longer necessary, especially when 2020 might provide a better option at both signal caller and the team's financial spreadsheet.

Seattle has choices, whether it's using the franchise tag in 2020 or even orchestrating a trade. Also, going all in on a rookie quarterback provides all kinds of financial freedom.

Ignoring April 15 is good business for the Seahawks, and it could still work out very well for Russell Wilson.