Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider won the 2025 NFL Executive of the Year award based on any number of home run moves he made last offseason. From bringing in free agents like Sam Darnold and Demarcus Lawrence to drafting difference-makers like Grey Zabel and Nick Emmanwori, Schneider seemed to push every right button.
One move that went largely under the radar came just a few days before the season kicked off. He signed right tackle Abraham Lucas to a contract extension on September 4. Lucas would have been an unrestricted free agent had he played the 2025 season without agreeing to an extension.
In light of the deal the Chicago Bears just gave to Darnell Wright, it looks as if Schneider is once again playing chess while the rest of the league is stuck with Tiddlywinks. Or perhaps he just evaluates talent and gets out in front of things before they become problems better than any other GM.
Seattle Seahawks' John Schneider once again looks like a genius after a blockbuster offensive line deal is announced
Extending Lucas was certainly not a no-brainer. He was a third-round pick in the 2022 draft, and ideally, a player drafted in that position will, in fact, become a long-term starter. Lucas did take over at right tackle from day one and played in all but one of the Seahawks' games as a rookie.
However, he missed the better part of the next two seasons, appearing in just 13 of 34 games. By 2024, the offensive line was in tatters, and Lucas’ inability to stay healthy was a major contributing factor.
Even when healthy, the Washington State product was not exactly setting the league on fire. He had been decent enough, but through those first three seasons, Lucas committed 13 penalties and surrendered 15 sacks over 29 games.
Nonetheless. Schneider recognized that when healthy, he could be a solid bookend to left tackle Charles Cross. Locking up two talented young tackles became a priority.
The extension Lucas signed was for three seasons and $46 million. It was structured to partially mitigate against another injury, with the club’s dead cap hit reducing significantly in the latter years. Assuming he plays out the deal, Lucas will next be eligible for free agency in 2029.
Offensive tackle is the only position in the league where salaries are typically differentiated based on the side of the field being played. Lucas is a right tackle, and left tackles earn more. So that 46 million, though certainly not cheap, is not anywhere near as much as Cross would receive from his extension.
Still, for a player coming off two straight injury-plagued seasons, it was a bit of a gamble. Like most of John Schneider’s recent gambles, it paid off brilliantly.
Lucas started all 17 games for Seattle and had, by every metric, his best season as a pro. Four penalties and four sacks allowed in more than 1,000 offensive snaps. Best of all, Seattle’s second Super Bowl championship. The rejuvenated offensive line was no small part of that success.
And now, the Lucas deal looks like an outright steal. The Bears just awarded Wright a four-year deal worth 116 million dollars. It is the most money ever paid to a right tackle. Indeed, it is more than Charles Cross – and almost every other left tackle in the league – is making.
Wright is a fine player, and the Bears obviously feel that protecting their young quarterback, Caleb Williams, is essential to their future. He was drafted in 2023 and will be 25 when the new season begins.
Last year, he earned Second-Team All-Pro honors and had an excellent grade of 80.3 from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That was good for 15th best in the league – right or left side.
As a point of comparison, Abraham Lucas, who will be 27 when the season begins, graded out at 81.0, two spots ahead of Wright. Two spots ahead at roughly half the price. That is why John Schneider is so good at what he does.
Of course, the GM's work is never done. With such a talented roster, there are more players in line for extensions. But Schneider's front office probably has a pretty good handle on the situation.
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