John Schneider’s September extension for Abraham Lucas looks even sharper now.
The Seahawks general manager already had plenty of ammo for his 2025 NFL Executive of the Year case. Seattle hit on major offseason additions like Sam Darnold and Demarcus Lawrence, then kept stacking wins in the draft with Grey Zabel and Nick Emmanwori. But one of Schneider’s smartest moves barely made a ripple at the time: on September 4, he locked up Lucas before the right tackle could reach unrestricted free agency after the 2025 season.
That deal seemed sensible enough then. It looks downright savvy now.
Seattle gave Lucas a three-year, $46 million extension, and there was real risk baked into it. He came into the league as a third-round pick in 2022, stepped in as the starter at right tackle immediately and played in all but one game as a rookie.
But the next two seasons were wrecked by injuries, and he appeared in only 13 of 34 games. By 2024, Seattle’s offensive line was a mess, and Lucas’ health issues were a major reason why.
Even when he was on the field, the production was good but not dominant. Through his first three seasons, Lucas had been charged with 13 penalties and allowed 15 sacks over 29 games.
Schneider still bet on the player, not just the injury history. The Seahawks clearly believed Lucas could be a steady partner for Charles Cross on the other side, and they made keeping both young tackles a priority.
The structure of Lucas’ extension also reflected that concern. The deal was set up to limit the team’s exposure if injuries popped up again, with the dead cap hit dropping significantly in the later years. If he plays out the contract, Lucas won’t be back on the market until 2029.
At the time, it was a gamble. After 2025, it looks like a win.
Lucas started all 17 games for Seattle and delivered the best season of his career by every meaningful measure. He played more than 1,000 offensive snaps, was flagged just four times and allowed only four sacks. He also helped anchor an offensive line that played a big role in Seattle’s second Super Bowl championship.
Then came the deal that made Schneider’s move look even smarter.
The Bears just handed Darnell Wright a four-year contract worth $116 million, the biggest payday ever for a right tackle. That number even tops what Charles Cross and almost every other left tackle in the league are making.
Chicago clearly believes Wright is worth it, especially with Caleb Williams at quarterback, and Wright has the résumé to back up the price tag. He was drafted in 2023, will be 25 when the new season starts, earned Second-Team All-Pro honors last year and posted an 80.3 grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 15th in the league.
But Lucas matched him, and in one key area beat him. Lucas, who will be 27 when the season begins, earned an 81.0 grade from Pro Football Focus, two spots ahead of Wright, while costing Seattle about half as much.
That’s the edge Schneider found before the rest of the league caught up.
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Emmanwori was seen moving around the sidelines without a walking boot, a small but meaningful sign as the Seahawks hold out hope he can be ready by the start of the season. For now, though, he is still on the outside of the work getting done on the field, and the longer his return takes, the more chances others have to carve out roles while Seattle waits for one of its young defenders to get back into the mix. [Read more 🡒]