Right tackle Abe Lucas shows obvious, uncharacteristic emotion over his new, $46 million Seattle Seahawks contract he signed Sept. 4, 2025, at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton. By Gregg Bell/The News Tribune
Usually, Abe Lucas is about as emotional as a stone slab.
Publicly, the Seahawks’ massive right tackle would sooner let a pass rusher run by him to his quarterback than laugh. Or, often, smile. When he does joke, it’s deadpan.
Yet the homegrown, 6-foot-6, 322-pound Lucas was glowing Thursday thinking about his parents, his family, his loved ones — and his new, $46 million contract. He and his favorite team since he was 3 years old agreed to that days before he begins his fourth NFL season against San Francisco Sunday at Lumen Field.
“Pretty surreal,” the 26-year-old former Washington State Cougar from Everett and Archbishop Murphy High School said, multiple times in 5 minutes.
His first call Thursday with the news he got a new contract beyond his rookie one ending with the 2025 season was to his father, Kelly. He and mother Julie raised Abe in Everett, and through the community at the St. Thomas More Parish Catholic church in Lynnwood. Abe and his dad watched Seahawks games on TV at home together in suburban Seattle, when little Abe was 3. He was going to call Mom in the afternoon.
“Pretty surreal,” Abe Lucas said, again.
“I think I’m still trying to process everything.
“Just the doors that something like that can open up, and the people that you can help, that’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”
That’s what Abe Lucas plays for. It’s why he bulled through 12 months in a long, lonely rehabilitation from tricky, patellar-tendon surgery on his aching knee in January 2024.
Abe Lucas smiles while discussing the $46 million contract extension the fourth-year right tackle from Washington State and Everett signed Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton. Gregg Bell/The News Tribune
The contract validates from the Seahawks he has come all the way back to be, along with bookend tackle Charles Cross, the two sure things on the team’s otherwise iffy, remade offensive line that is the key to this season. And beyond.
“That’s amazing. I’m so happy for Abe,” Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold said. “Happy for him and his family. It’s just incredible stuff whenever you can see something like that go down and you get to congratulate him in person.
“Abe has always brought such a positive attitude. Even in a funny, joking way or when it’s super hot out there and he’s out there with the cold towel on his head saying, ‘I love this.’ You guys can fill in the blank on the next word that he says.”
Darnold says he is impressed by Lucas’ dogged work each day.
“He deserves every penny of that,” Darnold said of the new deal.
It came three days before Lucas begins the final season of his rookie contract — injury-free, for a change.
He missed the first months of last season. He had patella-tendon surgery on his knee in January 2024, to fix long-term pain. The surgeon who performed the operation told Lucas it would be a full year before he felt better. He returned to playing in 10 1/2 months.
He acknowledged this offseason he wasn’t fully right in the seven games he played last season.
This was the first offseason he trained full go, fully healthy since he’s been in the league. And he’s practiced and played like it this summer. He and Cross are the mainstays to the changed, otherwise unproven offensive line that is the key to Seattle’s 2025 season, and beyond.
Now Lucas is going to be around for the beyond.
Run-game coordinator Rick Dennison (left), right tackle Abe Lucas (72) and center Jalen Sundell (61) at practice in Seattle Seahawks NFL training camp July 31, 2025, at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton. Gregg Bell/The News Tribune
“Number one, Abe is a worker,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said after practice Thursday.
“I know he’s been through plenty in his career, injury wise. And he’s really battled in practice every day. ...
“Couldn’t be happier for him.”
Once it became evident at WSU he had a future playing in the NFL, how much was this, a second, lucrative contract in the league, Lucas’ goal?
“It’s part of it, obviously,” he said. “But for me, the goal has always been to be as great as I could be, and then that’s just part of the deal.
“You know, I’ve always wanted to be a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro player. That’s still what I’m going to work for. This is just another tick on the box.
“There is still more for me to do. I’m going to get after that.”
Starting right tackle Abe Lucas participating on the first day of Seahawks voluntary offseason conditioning workoutsat the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton April 22, 2025. via Edwin Hooper/seahawks.com