Seahawks’ Abraham Lucas is livin’ the dream

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, February 4, 2026

SAN JOSE, Calif. — One of Abraham Lucas’ first football memories comes from almost exactly 20 years ago.

At seven years old, he watched the Seattle Seahawks play in Super Bowl XL in Everett, wishing — like many kids — he could play in the big game someday.

People often say “Livin’ the dream” with sarcasm when asked how their work days are going.

Now a 6-foot-6, 322-pound right tackle for the Seahawks, the Archbishop Murphy High School graduate truly is living that dream. On Sunday, “someday” arrives, and Lucas will start on Seattle’s offensive line against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

“I mean, it was a dream,” Lucas told The Herald on Wednesday at the San Jose Convention Center. “It’s come to fruition now, which is pretty cool. The outlook on it is a little different now that I’m actually playing in it.”

The little kid who watched the Seahawks lose to the Steelers on Feb. 5, 2006 learned over time that no one simply dreams their way into the NFL.

He hit the weights. He grew — a lot — eventually becoming a two-way starter on the offensive and defensive lines for an Archbishop Murphy team that won the Class 2A state title in 2016. Lucas started at Washington State as a redshirt freshman to kick off a stellar career for the Cougars that led to the Seahawks selecting him in the third round of the 2022 draft.

The boy who once dreamed became someone who helped his team realize a trip to the Super Bowl.

“As a kid, you think everything’s great, because you don’t have any responsibility,” Lucas said. “It’s just a dream, and feeling good, and all that is still there. But you learn the lesson as you get older that it takes hard work, sacrifice, commitment, and all of those things added into it to try to get after it the best possible way.”

As he progressed through each level of football — often outperforming people’s expectations at each stop — Lucas became a student of the game. He learned that it takes more than being a massive human being to be one of 64 people in the world who start at tackle in the NFL.

He became a technician.

A couple of years before Lucas’ first football memory, current Seahawks offensive line coach John Benton began his first NFL coaching job after 15 years in the college game. Benton’s seen a thing or two during his 38 years of coaching football. When asked what Lucas adds to the Seahawks offensive line, he didn’t mention the obvious physical traits his right tackle possesses.

“His biggest attribute is that he’s a true professional,” Benton said. “He knows exactly what he needs to do every time. He really plays to the best of his ability, and he’s gotten better every week we play. His preparation is a big part of it.”

Over the years, Benton has coached every personality type. While the standards never change, he uses different methods of communicating information to his players. There was no time to be wasted prior to the 2025 season, as Benton came to Seattle along with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to install a new Seahawks offense for a third time in Lucas’ four seasons.

Benton noticed right away that Lucas wanted to be very certain of the intricacies of each play. There’s not, “I got it, Coach,” from Lucas when he doesn’t have it. Lucas wants to see it on the whiteboard, and wants to feel it by walking through every aspect of his role in a play.

And walking helps solve two areas.

Benton, who bonded with Lucas through a shared love of heavy metal music, noticed another thing about his right tackle early on.

“Abe can’t sit still,” said Benton, chuckling. “It’s one of his little quirks.”

“During my whole career, the offensive line typically comes off the field, and all five sit together the whole time until it’s time to go back out there.”

The group sitting together is beneficial for Benton, so he can talk to them during the game about changes or situations to watch for from the other team’s defense.

“We had to work something out early where I could go over and do my deal, and he’ll sit there and be patient. But, I’ve got to literally say, ‘Okay, you’re good to go now,’ and he’ll get up and wander around.”

“I think it’s kind of funny — the other four are still sitting there like statues in a park. Abe is too restless for that.”

For most of two seasons, walking around a football field — let alone playing on one — was not easy for Lucas. After a strong rookie season in 2022, Lucas suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss most of the 2023 and ‘24 seasons. Two years after knee surgery in January of 2024, he’s had a relatively healthy 2025 season, and signed a three-year, $46 million contract extension in September.

Forced to double down on the same hard work he put in to get to the NFL to make it back to playing in games, Lucas started all 17 contests this season, as well as both playoff victories.

“A lot of consistent work, honestly, and a lot of patience,” Lucas said of the path to rehabilitating his knee. “Not being able to do everything I wanted to do all of the time was a bummer. Very annoying. It hurt a lot — it was very painful. Just followed the plan and trusted the trainers, and trusted the people who were part of that process.”

On Sunday, Lucas will be entrusted with the responsibility of protecting quarterback Sam Darnold and opening holes for running back Kenneth Walker III. The Patriots bring a strong defensive front that is a large part of why New England is back in the Super Bowl.

“They have a really good run defense,” Lucas said. “They have a lot of really good players. They’re definitely coached very well, and they believe in whatever style they’ve decided to put out on film. It’s going to be a good challenge.”

Because of that strong defensive front, Benton believes Lucas is an important key to victory on Sunday. The Patriots often show one look and shift into another to keep offenses off balance. The line must adjust to the different blitzes and stunts thrown at them.

“We’re going to need what Abe brings to the table,” Benton said. “We’re going to need his strength and power. You’ll probably see us running behind Abe a lot.”

Leading an offense into the end zone sounds like a dream come true for the kid from Everett.