Falcons: New reports makes signing Russell Wilson an inevitability

How often is there a Super Bowl-winning and future Hall of Fame quarterback on the market who could sign for $1.2 million? Answer: never, at least until now.

The Atlanta Falcons chose the perfect offseason to look for a new quarterback as they could land Russell Wilson for league minimum thanks to 'offset language' in his current contract with the Denver Broncos.

Falcons must sign Russell Wilson if Jeremy Fowler's reports are true

Even if the Atlanta Falcons have their eyes set on a specific quarterback in the draft, they need to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Russell Wilson signed a massive contract extension after being traded to the Denver Broncos two years ago. Now, they are looking to get out from under that contract and will likely release him in the coming days.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Wilson's next contract could be for league minimum.

"Everybody I've talked to around the league expects the Denver Broncos at some point around the new league year in the next few weeks to rip the band-aid off and release Russell Wilson even though they owe him $39 million in guaranteed money, but they can start new, he can go sign somewhere else. The feeling is he'll sign for considerably less, maybe even the league minimum, because he's got all that money in hand guaranteed. And so, he's going to have options. The feeling I get from talking to teams and scouts is that he's still an NFL starter, there will be a job somewhere for him."

- Jeremy Fowler

Wilson's contract has what is known as 'offset language' which essentially means that he is guaranteed a certain amount of money—for him it is $39 million. After Denver releases him, they have to pay him $39 million minus whatever he goes on to sign for.

This means that he could very well sign for league minimum ($1.2 million) with a new team. And why wouldn't he?

For the Falcons, they cannot pass up this opportunity, there is no way around that. Even if, for some reason, Wilson wants $10 million from his new team, you have to jump on it without hesitation.

Not to mention, Wilson will presumably sign on a one-year prove-it deal. He is getting paid a lot of money regardless so signing for one year would allow him to prove that he is worth another large contract.

This would be a low-risk, extremely high-reward move. You are paying him essentially nothing and you aren't tied down for the next five years. If he plays well then you can sign him to an extension, if he doesn't then you move on with no harm done.

The only question is whether he would choose the Falcons. Assuming he is willing to sign for league minimum, he is bound to get many offers. The Falcons have a lot of talent on offense and their defense was good last year. But could a team like the Commanders, whose head coach is Dan Quinn who spent time in Seattle with Wilson, come in and snag the quarterback? We will have to wait a few weeks to find out.

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All in all, the Atlanta Falcons have to make an aggressive move for Wilson. He is a proven player at a position of need who could sign for nothing. No reason not to make the move.