Yes, the Seahawks will pick up the fifth year option of Charles Cross

John Schneider has a history of penny pinching on the offensive line, but that should change this offseason with the fifth year option of Charles Cross looming.

With another season in the books, fans of the Seattle Seahawks can look back and once again complain about the poor play of the offensive line. It’s been a common theme for more than a decade, persevering through changes to the coaching staff, scheme and personnel.

The Seahawks have experienced various levels of success during that time period, from hoisting a Lombardi Trophy after dismantling the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, to stumbling into last place with an injured Russell Wilson at the helm in 2021. However, through it all one fact remains true, and that is that as the twenty year anniversary of Walter Jones inking a seven-year, $52.5M contract with Seattle on February 16, 2005, that remains the single largest contract the Hawks have given to an offensive lineman in franchise history.

So minimal has spending on the offensive line for the Seahawks been over the past decade and a half that two of the largest single season cap hits for Seattle offensive linemen in franchise history are from contracts that were signed prior to the adoption of the previous CBA in 2011. For those curious, here are the top twelve largest single season cap hits for offensive linemen in franchise history, and, yes, the list was expanded from ten to twelve for a specific reason.

• 1: Duane Brown (2020: $12.75M)
• 2: Russell Okung (2014: $11.24M)
• 3: Duane Brown (2019: $10.85M)
• 4: Duane Brown (2021: $9.85M)
• 5: Walter Jones (2009: $9.8M)
• 6: Russell Okung (2013: $9.54M)
• 7: Russell Okung (2014: $8.96M)
• 8: Russell Okung (2011: $8.8M)
• 9T: Walter Jones (2007: $8.6M)
• 9T: Walter Jones (2008: $8.6M)
• 11: Justin Britt (2019: $7.92M)
• 12: Luke Joeckel (2017: $7.69M)

The reason this is brought up is because between now and early May the Seahawks front office will need to make a decision on the fifth year option of 2022 first round pick left tackle Charles Cross. As Field Gulls Managing Editor Mookie Alexander noted earlier in January, the fifth year option for Cross is projected to be $18.424M, which would instantly take over the top spot as the largest single season cap hit for a Seahawks offensive lineman in franchise history in pure dollar amounts.

In any case, regardless of where the fifth year option would fall for Cross relative to historic cap hits for Seattle offensive linemen, the reality is that his performance on the field has shown him to be a young up and comer, and with youth on his side an ability to continue to develop. Specifically, the Seahawks left Cross alone on an island at an unusually high rate during the 2024 season, and he outperformed expectations relative to the pass rushers he was tasked with blocking when left without help from a guard, tight end or running back.

So, for those who have questioned what Cross has done to warrant having the fifth year option exercised or to be signed to a large extension, the answer is right here. His on field performance puts him on par with guys like Dion Dawkins, Trent Williams, Kolton Miller, Orlando Brown, Spencer Brown and other high performing, but not quite elite, tackles, and Cross is doing that while having just turned 24 in late November.

In short, he’s performing at a high level, and he’s doing it at a very young age. That’s the type of player that teams more often than not opt to extend, so here is what some of the players who fall in the area around Cross on that chart are earning on non-rookie contracts.

• Dion Dawkins: 3-years, $60.2M
• Kolton Miller: 3-years, $54.01M
• Orlando Brown: 4-years, $64.1M
• Spencer Brown: 4-years, $72M
• Trent Williams: 3-years, $82M

Those numbers, combined with the $18.424M projection for the fifth year option, provide the base level for where the conversation about any extension Cross might sign starts. Now it’s a matter of waiting to see whether John Schneider remains true to past form and opts to let Cross walk, or whether he takes over as the highest paid offensive lineman in franchise history.

It should be a no brainer. But then again, decisions that felt like no brainers in the past haven’t always been made the way fans thought they should have been made.

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