The future looks bright for the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks, who appear to be finding their stride under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald.

That future will include some major decisions this offseason.

Unexpected Impact: Four Seahawks key to surge back atop NFC West

There are still four weeks left in the 2024 regular season, but based on what has transpired so far, what are three contractual moves the franchise should make when next offseason comes around? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard was posed that question during Tuesday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. Below are the three moves he mentioned.

• Extend LT Charles Cross

After a promising first two seasons in the NFL, 24-year-old Charles Cross is performing like the foundational left tackle the Seahawks envisioned when they made him the No. 9 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-5, 311-pound former Mississippi State standout doesn’t become a free agent after the 2025 season, but he likely has shown enough at this point to warrant an extension prior to the final year of his rookie contract. Cross has been a steady force all season, starting every offensive snap for Seattle and ranking 11th out of 80 tackles across the league in Pro Football Focus grading.

“Charles Cross is playing great football,” Huard said. “These guys don’t grow on trees. They’re unique. They’re unicorns. He does everything right. So you’ve got to lock in your left tackle. … He is a building block at one of the most important positions on a football team. You take care of him first and foremost.”

• Move on from WR Tyler Lockett

Tyler Lockett is the second-leading receiver in franchise history, having racked up 8,505 receiving yards over his decorated 10-year career in Seattle. But over the past two seasons, the 32-year-old wideout’s production has declined. After four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2019 through 2022, Lockett finished with 894 receiving yards last year while playing through a nagging hamstring injury. And this year, he’s on pace for 668 receiving yards – which would be his lowest total since 2017.

Lockett’s dip in production coincides with a breakout season from second-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who ranks sixth in the NFL with 911 receiving yards. Lockett still has one year remaining on his contract, but likely carries too big of a price tag to warrant keeping him around in 2025, given his status as Seattle’s No. 3 receiver behind DK Metcalf and Smith-Njigba. According to Over The Cap, Lockett’s salary cap hit would surge from nearly $18.9 million this year to nearly $30.9 million next season, which would account for 11% of the team’s 2025 cap space. The Seahawks would save $17 million in cap space by parting ways with Lockett this offseason, according to Over The Cap.

“This is probably it for Tyler,” Huard said. “He has been awesome. … Absolutely incredible. But when you look contractually, it’s just the way it works in the NFL when you’re an older guy and all of a sudden you’re not producing at a (high) level. The one that is the most team-friendly to free up a bunch of money on that cap will be Tyler.”

• Re-sign Ernest Jones IV

Jones has been a revelation since arriving in an Oct. 23 trade with the Tennessee Titans. The fourth-year inside linebacker has been a steadying force in the middle of Seattle’s defense, helping key a dramatic midseason turnaround that’s resulted in the Seahawks holding each of their past five opponents to 18 offensive points or fewer in regulation. The 6-foot-2, 233-pound Jones has racked up 63 tackles and an interception in his six games since joining Seattle, while playing a major role in helping fix the team’s run-defense issues.

“You can’t do a deal yet with (second-year cornerback) Devin Witherspoon or some of those other (young players), so I think it’s Charles Cross first,” Huard said. “I think it’s saying goodbye to Tyler Lockett and hugging him on the way out. And (then) it’s making sure that (Jones) and Tyrice Knight can be your two linebackers for years and years to come.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

Seattle Seahawks news and analysis

• Seahawks Injury Report: Details on RB Walker and a long DNP list
• Rost: This is the recipe for Seahawks making the playoffs
• Seahawks Breakdown: Sizing up the razor-tight NFC West race
• The changes that finally unlocked the Seattle Seahawks’ run game
• Seattle Seahawks’ Macdonald: Players have ‘done everything we’ve asked them’

Follow @CameronVanTil

If the Seattle Mariners are going to make a big trade this offseason, there’s now one indication of who it could be with.

Here’s who Mariners could take at No. 3 overall in 2025 MLB Draft

MLB Network insider Jon Morosi reported Wednesday that per a source, the Boston Red Sox “are working to acquire one of the Mariners’ starting pitchers.” That comes on the heels of the Red Sox making a blockbuster deal with the White Sox for All-Star pitcher Garrett Crochet earlier Wednesday.

Seattle Times Mariners reporter Adam Jude had his own report shortly after, posting on social media that “Boston has been persistent in its pursuit of one Seattle’s starters.” He added that a hypothetical deal that would send Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo to the Red Sox for first baseman Triston Casas would “seem to make sense for both sides.”

Alex Speier, who covers the Red Sox for the Boston Globe, followed up on that, splashing some water on the fire at least when it comes to the names.

“Asked a source if there were legs to a deal involving Triston Casas for Luis Castillo,” Speier wrote on social media. “The answer was straightforward: ‘No.’”

So while specific names haven’t been pinned down yet, it at least seems clear that the Red Sox are interested in a trade for a Mariners pitcher. The level at which Seattle is interested, however, remains to be seen.

The M’s have been steadfast about wanting to keep their starting rotation intact, in particular their four youngest starters: All-Stars Logan Gilbert and George Kirby, and recent breakout pitchers Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo. Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said trading one of the Mariners’ young starters this offseason would be “Plan Z” when talking to the media at the end of the 2024 season, and he spoke this week at MLB’s winter meetings more about looking to trade from the team’s well-stocked farm system than from the big league club (click the link below for that story).

Dipoto shares how Mariners are being ‘very aggressive’ on trade market

It has been a quiet offseason thus far for the Mariners, who have made a minor addition in corner infielder Austin Shenton and expressed their interest in pursuing Japanese star pitcher Roki Sasaki, who was posted by his Nippon Pro Baseball team as available to MLB clubs this week.

The biggest news of Seattle’s offseason came Tuesday when the Mariners surprisingly ended up with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft despite entering the draft lottery with odds that put them most likely to get the 14th pick.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Lucky Mariners just unexpectedly landed very high MLB Draft pick
• The Mariners will have a strong pitch for Japanese star Roki Sasaki
• Salk: The three Seattle Mariners to watch as surprise trade candidates
• Dipoto shares how Mariners are being ‘very aggressive’ on trade market
• Salk: No thanks on a Seattle Mariners trade for 3B Alec Bohm

Follow @BrentStecker

The Seattle Seahawks’ secondary is about to get some reinforcements for the home stretch of the regular season.

On Wednesday, the team announced that cornerback Artie Burns and safety K’Von Wallace have been designated for return to practice. Burns has been on injured reserve since mid-October due to a toe injury suffered against the San Francisco 49ers, whereas Wallace suffered an ankle injury in Week 9 against the Los Angeles Rams. This was Wallace’s first week of eligibility to return, whereas Burns could’ve been activated since Week 12.

Both players have a 21-day practice window to be activated off injured reserve and onto the active roster. If neither one is ready to return within that window, then they will revert to IR and be done for the season.

Burns has been primarily a special teams player and backup nickel corner, whereas Wallace started the season as the third safety behind Julian Love and Rayshawn Jenkins. Coby Bryant has assumed the role of starter alongside Love, while Jenkins is the third safety. It’ll be interesting to see what role, if any, Wallace has in the defense upon return.

The Seahawks will have to do some roster shuffling in order to get those two and reserve tackle Stone Forsythe back on the active roster. Forsythe is entering his final full week of his practice window and hasn’t yet been activated off of IR.

Fellow backup tackle George Fant, guard Anthony Bradford, and nose tackle Cameron Young are the other Seahawks players on injured reserve. NFL teams can only activate eight players off of injured reserve within the regular season, and the Seahawks are currently at six. You can do the math in terms of who may not be back for the regular season, but keep in mind playoff teams are allowed two more activations off of IR.