Seahawks' Russell Wilson Goes Long For O-Line With Amazon Stock Gift

NFL quarterback Russell Wilson is telling his offensive line that they’re going long...on Amazon.com Inc. AMZN stock. And he’s paying for it as a way of thanking them for helping make him successful.

What He Did

Lots of quarterbacks give gifts to their offensive linemen, the guys who toil, mostly in anonymity and for much lower pay, to protect the QB from getting sacked. But rather than something flashy, Wilson is going with a practical gift with an eye toward long-term benefit.

Wilson, who recently became the highest-paid NFL player with a four-year $140 million deal with the Seahawks, gave each of his 13 offensive linemen $12,000 in Amazon stock, TMZ reported Monday.

Why It's Important

“You sacrifice your physical and mental well-being to protect me, which in turn allows me to provide and care for my family,” Wilson said in a letter to his O-line. “This does not go unnoticed and it is never forgotten…. The memories on the field will last forever, but we have to constantly prepare for life after football.”

Wilson's total spend was $156,000 on Amazon's stock, which on Tuesday was trading around $1,907.84 per share. The stock is higher by 25 percent over the last year.

“You have invested in my life,” Wilson said in the letter. “This is my investment into yours.”

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Photo credit: Keith Allison, Flickr