Huard: Why Seahawks’ Uchenna Nwosu is worth his extension

Uchenna Nwosu got a big payday from the Seattle Seahawks on Monday as the standout edge rusher inked a three-year extension reportedly worth up to $59 million with $32 million guaranteed.

Seattle Seahawks sign Uchenna Nwosu to 3-year extension

The deal keeps Nwosu, 26, in Seattle through the 2026 season. He’d initially signed a two-year deal in free agency last offseason worth just over $19 million total.

So is this extension money well spent by the Seahawks? That’s the question Mike Salk had for former NFL quarterback Brock Huard during Tuesday’s Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports.

“Is he worth that money? Is he a good enough player to be worthy of that kind of extension? Can he be the top outside edge rusher on a playoff or Super Bowl team?” Salk asked.

“I think because of his versatility, it is a yes. Because he can be an edge rusher, because he can stop the run, he can set an edge. Because of all of the things that he can do, yes,” Huard replied.

Huard also said the value of Nwosu’s deal should look better as the years go on, and that he expects him to be a 10-plus sack player over the course of the next four seasons.

“That money is going to be changing in the years ahead as this cap just continues and continues to grow,” he said. .”.. This kind of reminds me of (receiver Tyler Lockett’s) extension. Tyler got good money. He didn’t get the very top money, but he got really good money, and he knew what he had here and he loved it here and he wanted to be a part of it here. And I think Nwosu did, as well. And that money and those numbers are going to change pretty dramatically.”

In addition to thinking the money is good for both sides, Huard likes the timing and thinks this deal sends a couple big messages.

“The $32 million means something. The extension means something because that’s the way the Seahawks have always done business,” Huard said. “To me, that was the good news. Kind of like in their heyday when they were able to extend all the guys, when did they always do that? They didn’t wait until after the deal was done. They were always able to roll it into the final year of the deal.”

“What I love about it, Salk, is on the precipice of camp starting, (the message) this sends to that locker room is, ‘We’ll take care of you. We will reward those that produce and we don’t go on the cheap. We don’t try to take advantage of you even though the league in many ways is set up so pro-employer as far as these contracts. But you do your job well and you get it done, you get paid here,'” Huard later added.

Listen to the full second hour of Tuesday’s Brock and Salk at this link or in the player below.

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