The Seahawks Just Gave Charles Cross The Largest Non-QB Contract In Franchise History

Pardon the wordplay, but the Seattle Seahawks are flying high right now. After defeating the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16 and the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18, Seattle will enter the NFL playoffs as the NFC West champs and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. That means a week off to rest and recover and starting the postseason one step closer to the Super Bowl. The extra week off should also allow left tackle Charles Cross to return from injury.

Cross is looking forward to returning to the field–and he's also going to get a significant pay increase.

The Seahawks and Cross agreed to a four-year, $104.4 million contract extension. The deal, which includes $75 million in guarantees, is the highest for a non-quarterback in Seahawks franchise history. Only Russell Wilson, who signed a four-year, $140 million extension in 2019, has gotten a larger deal. At the time, Wilson was the highest-paid player in the NFL.

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NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport added that Cross will receive $40.5 million in the first year of the deal and $26.1 million in the second year. Cross has started in 62 of a possible 68 games since the Seahawks selected him with the ninth pick of the 2022 draft. He sat out the final three games of the regular season while recovering from a hamstring injury, but the Seahawks expect him back on the field by the time their first playoff game kicks off.

Cross still has one more year left on his rookie contract. Counting that team option, Cross will make $121.96 million over the next five seasons. And the $26.1 million average annual value of the new extension puts him as the third-highest-paid left tackle in the league.

The left tackle has been the pinnacle of consistency since entering the league. He's played 100% of snaps in two of his four seasons, and this year was a "down" year with 96% of snaps played. He's only committed 22 penalties in four seasons, which works out to about one every three games. Most importantly, he's protected quarterback Sam Darnold; the Seahawks only allowed 27 sacks all season, tied for fifth-best in the NFL.

Cross has gotten his payday, so now his next quest is a Super Bowl. The Seahawks are certainly in prime position to make it happen.