Clayton: Seahawks were smart to get Justin Britt’s new deal done

After 16 tries, the Seahawks’ duo of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider finally signed an offensive lineman they drafted to a second contract.

Center Justin Britt signed a three-year, $27 million deal Thursday, highlighting a semi-defining week for the Seahawks’ offensive line. O-line coach Tom Cable settled on George Fant at left tackle and Luke Joeckel at left guard, while he will use Friday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings to sort out the right side of the line and maybe make some final decisions.

In the big picture, getting a deal with Britt finally gives hopes of continuity on this offensive line. Britt was a third alternate to the Pro Bowl last year and is clearly the team’s best offensive lineman. And like Kam Chancellor, who also recently signed a three-year extension, Britt is a leader.

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It took a little time for Britt to establish himself as a leader of the offensive line. Cable moved him from right tackle to left guard and then to center. First, Britt had to learn and feel comfortable at center, a position he never played before. Once he conquered that, he started being a leader for the young players on the offensive line.

As it turned out, he was the senior man in the room. After the season, Schneider admitted that it might have helped to have a few older veterans in the room to help with leadership and mentoring the young blockers. Nevertheless, Britt did a great job filling that void.

He took it upon himself to make sure the rest of the linemen knew that calls. He made sure the linemen worked out together as much as they could during the offseason. When the Seahawks signed or drafted new offensive linemen, he was the first to call and try to get to know the newest member of the line.

Still, this was going to be a tricky contract. A new deal for Brandon Linder of the Jacksonville Jaguars took the center market from $9.4 million to $10.3 million a year. As a second-round pick who was considered Pro Bowl-caliber in his first year at center, it wouldn’t have been unfair for Britt to ask for $10 million a year or more.

Britt was fair. He took $9 million a year. He didn’t hit the team hard for full guarantees. And by signing for three years, Britt can be a free agent at the age of 30 and have a chance to get another contract – either in Seattle or elsewhere.

It was also smart for the Seahawks to get the deal done sooner rather than later. There are nine centers taken in the 2014 draft whose contracts expire at the end of the season. Britt and Linder were the first two to sign, and it’s not out of the question for one or two of the others to hit a number bigger than $10.3 million a year and move up the market.

The Seahawks don’t have to worry about it now. The next decision involves tight end Jimmy Graham, who’s in the final year of his contract. That’s another deal that could happen.

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