> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Seahawks Make Bold Investment Inking Charles Cross to $104.4 Million Deal - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-seahawks-bold-investment-inking-charles-cross-extension/ - Published: 2026-01-05T06:37:19.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:16:30.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Charles Cross \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="5196"\] ![ Seattle Seahawks tackle Charles Cross (67) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_27213957-format-original-2.jpg) Seattle Seahawks tackle Charles Cross (67) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images \[/caption\] After missing the previous three games due to a hamstring injury, the Seattle Seahawks expect to have left tackle Charles Cross back on the field for the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, and he will return with a new contract in tow. Making waves on the day after Seattle clinched the NFC West and earned the top seed for the postseason in a 13-3 win over San Francisco, as originally reported by NFL Network and confirmed by a team source, the Seahawks locked up Cross for the long haul by signing him to a four-year extension worth $104.4 million. Under the terms of the contract, he will receive $26.1 million in new money, making him the third-highest paid left tackle in the sport. Since Seattle picked up Cross’ fifth-year option last May, the former top-10 pick will play out his rookie contract and earn $17.6 million in 2026 before the extension kicks in, ultimately making the new pact an unofficial five-year extension. On the surface, paying Cross north of $25 million per year looks quite rich for a player who hasn’t been named to an All-Pro team or earned Pro Bowl honors in his first four NFL seasons, especially when considering the accolades of the two players who still sit ahead of him on the left tackle pay scale. Trent Williams of the 49ers has been a First-Team All-Pro three times along with 12 Pro Bowl selections, while Rashawn Slater of the Chargers has been voted to two Pro Bowls despite missing extensive time in two seasons due to injury. To this point, Cross hasn’t come close to matching Williams, Slater, or a five-time Pro Bowler in Laremy Tunsil resume-wise, which may make handing him a contract in the same price range as those three players seem a bit risky. Furthermore, the Seahawks have several other young talents such as Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon who will be looking to cash in on new contracts as early as this March, so there’s some potential risk from a roster building and cap allocation standpoint. But smart teams do what they can to lock up their own homegrown starters, particularly at premium positions such as left tackle, and at 25 years of age, Cross has been an above average starter already and should be just entering the prime of his career with his best football still ahead of him. Before he went down with a hamstring injury on a field goal in Week 15, he had been in the midst of a breakout season of sorts, as Pro Football Focus charged him with only two sacks allowed in pass protection and he had cut his pressures allowed in half (24) compared to 2024 while posting a rock solid 96.9% Pass Block Efficiency rate. Putting those numbers into greater context, Cross ranks in the top 10 among qualified tackles for fewest sacks allowed and in the top 20 for fewest pressures allowed. His Pass Block Efficiency rate also tops Williams, Ravens standout Ronnie Stanley, and Colts starter Bernhard Raimann, who each earn upwards of $20 million-plus per year. \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1022"\] ![ Highest paid left tackles in the NFL, per OverTheCap.com . ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/highest-paid-tackles-format-original-2.png) Highest paid left tackles in the NFL, per OverTheCap.com . \[/caption\] Coming into the league with questions regarding his run blocking skills after playing in Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense at Mississippi State, Cross has grown leaps and bounds in that aspect of his game since being tabbed as a Day 1 starter in 2022\. An elite athlete for the position who previously scored in the 90th percentile or better in the 40-yard dash and broad jump during his combine workout, he has benefited as much as anyone on Seattle’s offensive line playing in offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s wide zone-centric scheme and working with seasoned line coach John Benton this season. Given his age and incremental improvements over his first four seasons, Cross appears to still be on an upward trajectory with the upside to emerge as a Pro Bowl or All-Pro selection in the near future. Following years of going cheap in the trenches, general manager John Schneider has wisely turned a new leaf, placing priority on allocating more resources towards retaining offensive line talent, including re-signing right tackle Abraham Lucas back in August. This latest extension further illustrates that shift in philosophy by making another investment in future production protecting Sam Darnold. If Cross never becomes an All-Pro down the road, critics may be able to point to the contract as a regrettable overpay. But as Schneider knows all too well, drafting and developing a quality left tackle isn’t easy, and allowing a talented young player of his caliber to walk rather than open up the checkbook would have put the Seahawks in a rough spot trying to fill the void. After years of failing to achieve desired continuity up front, Schneider should be commended for working swiftly to lock up Cross and Lucas as foundational pieces up front, as Seattle can afford the price tag for both players in part due to the youth along the rest of the offensive line. First round pick Grey Zabel has at least three years left on his rookie deal with a fifth-year option available, fellow guard Anthony Bradford still has another year left on his deal, and the franchise has two years minimum of club control on center Jalen Sundell. As currently constructed, the Seahawks could have the same starting offensive line together for at least one more season, if not longer, with two players on affordable rookie contracts. While the team obviously will be banking on much more from Cross after making him one of the three highest-paid players at his position, even if he peaks as a top-10 tackle and doesn’t quite reach the elite tier where Williams resides, considering the rest of the young pieces around him, a longer deal with the signing bonus spread out over an extra year makes the roll of the dice an easy decision to sign off on.