“I would draft a player for what he could become but I wouldn’t give him a second contract for what he could become.”
This was a comment I read in the comments section yesterday by a chap called Mick, relating to Charles Cross. I think it’s the ideal way to sum up his current contract situation.
I wouldn’t pay him a big extension this summer. It’s not a hill I want to die on or anything and if the Seahawks do give him a new deal, I won’t be rushing to write a critical article. I appreciate both sides of the argument.
I don’t think Cross has kicked on despite being three years into his pro career. The same issues we highlighted and discussed as he entered the league pretty much remain. He still lacks the core power to dominate and control blocks once engaged and you still see him lunge when pass rushers reach the arc first, as they straighten around his set and he struggles to seal.
He gave up nine pressures in a game against the Lions last season. His 47 total pressures for the season were fifth most in the league — the same amount as Titans rookie JC Latham who was switching to left tackle for the first time. His 36 hurries conceded were fourth most too. In true pass-sets he gave up 25 hurries — again fifth most. His 34 pressures were eighth most.
There are clearly mitigating circumstances here. The Seahawks’ offense last year was a mess — putting way too much self-inflicted pressure on a struggling offensive line. It won’t have helped Cross that the offensive systems he’s worked in so far have been fairly hopeless. For the first time in 2025, he may experience competency.
That said, I still think he has something to prove before the Seahawks pay him.
I get the sense that he has a bit of an undeserved reputation among fans and media — perhaps due to the range where he was drafted. It’s almost assumed, not by all but certainly by many, that he’s one of the few ‘sure things’ on the O-line. I still think he’s in the prove-it stage. I think he needs to show progression this year, the kind we’ve been waiting for every year since his rookie season. I want to see him take a step in 2025.
If that means he’s a bit more expensive next year as a consequence, so be it. I’d rather pay a player who has shown he can be one of the best at his position in the NFL good money, rather than pay a player a little less money now for perceived potential. If the 2025 season is very much like his 2024 season, I don’t think he is someone who is necessarily worthy of a big new deal.
This was the case with Russell Okung previously. He played an important position. He was decent but not great. He never took the next step and ultimately, once his contract expired, he moved on.
That experience, I think, plays a part in the thought process with Cross. I get the impression what happened post-Okung (an utter mess until they traded for Duane Brown) is creating a fear-factor. If you don’t keep Cross, will you be left in the lurch at a vital position again?
I never think this is a good way to decide who you will or won’t give an extension to. Players have to be given contracts because they warrant them, not because it might be tricky to find a replacement. If Cross deserves to be one of the highest paid tackles in the league based on his performance, so be it. He doesn’t deserve to be one of the highest paid tackles in the league because you worry about having to draft someone else.
In a piece by Jeremy Fowler for ESPN, league sources (executives, coaches and scouts) were consulted to determine the best tackles in the league. Cross wasn’t listed in the top-10 and wasn’t even noted among Fowler’s five ‘honourable mentions’.
For me, Cross needs to justifiably be on this list to get a big extension.
You have two years of contract control and the option of the franchise tag in the future. There is no rush to commit to a big new salary over multiple seasons.
I would challenge Cross to take a big step forward in 2025. If he does it, reward him with a new contract next off-season. If it’s more of the same, you aren’t committed beyond 2026.
