SEATTLE -- Russell Wilson got a new left tackle and a $6 million check in the same day.
The Seattle Seahawks quarterback reworked his contract on Monday in order to create salary-cap space the team needed after agreeing Sunday to a trade with the Houston Texans for Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Wilson converted $6.26 million of his 2017 base salary into a signing bonus, a source confirmed. Wilson gets that money immediately, but for salary-cap purposes, it's now prorated over the remaining three seasons of his contract. The move freed up $4.17 million against the 2017 cap.
The reworked contract was first reported by The MMQB.
Wilson, who grew up in Richmond, Virginia, welcomed Brown, who was born in Richmond and played at Virginia Tech, on Twitter on Sunday.
Product of VA... Welcome to squad homie! @DuaneBrown76 @Seahawks #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/M6s89OX69q
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) October 31, 2017
The Seahawks had to do some maneuvering in order to fit Brown's contract under their salary cap. He's owed a little under $5 million for the remainder of the season. The Seahawks began the day with about $1.4 million in cap space, according to NFL Players Association records, and they only gained a little over $2 million in cap relief by sending cornerback Jeremy Lane to Houston as part of their package for Brown.
So the $4.17 million Seattle freed up by reworking Wilson's contract was enough to fit Brown and leave the Seahawks with some reserve cap space, which teams like to have available in case a signing is needed.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider has said that he doesn't like to rework players' contracts to free up cap space, but it's the second time in two months that Seattle has done so to make room for a high-priced trade acquisition. Seattle did a similar restructuring of wide receiver Doug Baldwin's contract before the season, converting salary into a signing bonus so the Seahawks could fit Sheldon Richardson's contract under their salary cap.