Huard weighs in on another looming Seahawks decision

There is no shortage of decisions to make for the Seattle Seahawks this offseason.

From quarterback Geno Smith’s contract situation, to the number of potential contract restructures or cuts to free up salary cap space, to the upcoming NFL Draft, the next couple of months figure to be a busy time for president of football operations John Schneider and the front office.

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Another set of decisions the Seahawks will need to make by May 1 is which players who were their own 2022 draft picks do they want to exercise fifth-year options for the 2026 season on.

The NFL sent out salary numbers for fifth-year options to teams last Thursday, which was shared on social media by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero. The most interesting number on that list as it pertains to the Seahawks comes on the offensive line, where Seattle will need to make a decision on 2022 first-round pick and starting left tackle Charles Cross.

According to Pelissero’s post, Cross’ fifth-year option will be worth $17.56 million, a big jump from his $6.8 million cap hit in 2025.

Is that a price the Seahawks should pay for Cross? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard shared his thoughts during his Blue 88 segment Tuesday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“Yeah, this one you absolutely you do,” Huard said. “… That number for a starting left tackle of his caliber is a very, very palatable number.”

Cross played every offensive snap for Seattle last season and was by far and away the team’s most reliable option in the trenches. He graded out as the ninth-best tackle in the league and the third best from his draft class, according to Pro Football Focus. Only one other Seahawks offensive lineman (Olu Oluwatimi, the 19th-ranked center) ranked in the top 20 at their position. Additionally, Cross committed only one holding penalty in his 1,097 snaps played, per NFLPenalties.com.

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“This has been one of those tremendous picks. Charles played great football this year,” said Huard, who is a longtime FOX football analyst in addition to his Seattle Sports hosting duties.

As for locking up the 24-year-old Cross beyond the 2026 campaign, Huard believes that’s something that isn’t at the top of the priority list quite yet due to the more pressing contract situations of Smith, soon-to-be free agent linebacker Ernest Jones IV and others.

The fifth-year option “doesn’t preclude you from restructuring or anything else,” Huard said. “That’s just doing the business of saying, yeah, we will absolutely be on the hook for that $17 million guarantee for his fifth year because that is a pretty darn palatable number.”

Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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