Although Doug Baldwin tied for the NFL touchdown receptions lead in a breakout 2015 season, he's no longer the highest-paid wide receiver on the Seattle Seahawks.
Teammate Jermaine Kearse signed a three-year, $13.5 million deal last month, edging out Baldwin's three-year, $13 million pact from spring of 2014.
Now that Baldwin is firmly established as Russell Wilson's go-to target, it's natural to wonder if a new deal is on the horizon as he enters a contract year.
"We haven't had any talks," Baldwin told KJR-AM on Wednesday. "And to be completely honest with you, I'm not too concerned with it."
"I'm having fun playing football. I'm enjoying my time, I'm enjoying my life right now," Baldwin added. "So whatever happens, I'm going to leave it up to God and he'll direct me in whatever direction I need to go."
It's customary for NFL teams to wait until free agency and the draft have come and gone before jumpstarting negotiations with extension candidates.
"Really, the guys who are under contract can't be the first-priority guys right now, in any order," Seattle coach Pete Carroll explained, via The Seattle Times, at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. "We are really digging in, trying to keep our team together. And that will always be the way we go about it."
Whereas previously disgruntled veterans Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett are under contract for two more seasons, Baldwin is due to reach free agency in 2017.
Baldwin was responsible for the NFL's top passer rating when targeted (142.8) last season and scored 11 touchdowns in the final six regular-season games after managing the same number in his previous 43 contests combined.
As an offensive star on the rise, his next contract should be a priority in the months between the draft and training camp.
