Seahawks, Justin Britt agree to 3-year contract extension

Update from earlier report that deal was near complete: The Seahawks have officially announced a three-year contract extension for Britt, totaling $27 million in new money. The deal keeps him under Seattle’s control through 2020. It’s only the second major contract extension for an offensive lineman on the team under Pete Carroll and John Schneider, with the previous such deal also coming at center: Max Unger. Obviously Unger was eventually traded to the Saints, but clearly the franchise values center more than any other in terms of hoping for continuity and stability. Russell Wilson also expressed thankfulness on Twitter about the extension for his center.

The Seattle Seahawks have typically not spent money on offensive linemen during the Pete Carroll era, but Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday that that could change with center Justin Britt. Rapoport says the two sides are nearing a three-year extension that will keep the 2016 Pro Bowl alternate under contract through 2020.

Per Rap’s numbers, that means the deal could be worth between $27 and $30 million total, making him among the highest-paid centers in the NFL. The Seahawks are paying Luke Joeckel over $7 million this season, which is more than they spent on the entire line in 2015. Cleary, Seattle sees a future where they are able to retain some of their offensive linemen on second contracts, which they haven’t done in the past with Russell Okung, James Carpenter, or J.R Sweezy.

They did give Max Unger an extension under Pete, but then traded him midway through it, relieving them of some salary cap expenditures while also suffering at the position in 2015 before Britt made the transition over.

We’ll keep you updated if and when this becomes final.