Russell Wilson wants the Seattle Seahawks to quickly work out a solution to get left tackle Duane Brown back on the field.
Brown has only a single year remaining on his existing contract, which will count for $13.35million against the cap in 2021.
The veteran lineman is keen for an extension, though, and he has the backing of superstar quarterback Wilson.
"Not having Duane Brown out there is a pretty significant deal because I think he's one of the best left tackles in the game, there's no arguing it," Wilson said.
"I think he's as good as it gets. There's nobody more athletic, more talented than he is."
Brown turns 36 this month, but the QB added: "Age is just a number. He looks like he's 28, 30 out there. He's really exceptional.
"He's so smart and physical, understands the game, and I think people fear him, to be honest with you, when they're rushing him and playing against him.
"So we definitely want to be able to get him back out there. We've got to figure that out because we need Duane Brown."
The issue and Wilson's comments should be of particular concern to the Seahawks, who for a time looked as though they might enter this year without the eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
Wilson this offseason bemoaned "getting hit too much", prompting speculation after an impressive 2020 went off the rails fast.
The 32-year-old, who had appeared on course for an MVP year, suffered as he was sacked 47 times for 301 yards, ranking third and second in the league respectively.
It is a common issue for Wilson, who has lost more sack yards (975) over the past three seasons than any other QB.
However, of those 146 sacks, Brown has allowed just six, showing why Wilson is desperate not to disrupt the one position that is performing in front of him.
Wilson believes Brown can continue to perform well into his thirties, too.
"I think he's got several more years to play," Wilson said. "I think he can definitely do it. I don't think there's anybody more athletic than him. You see what he can do.
"And he's also our leader. He's a guy who really leads the offensive line and, really, he commands the offensive line and really can set the tone."
Any regression in 2020 was minimal, as Brown allowed only a single sack for a second successive year and had just one penalty.
The former Houston Texans tackle allowed four adjusted sacks – up from one – but that still accounted for a mere 0.9 per cent of his 444 pass protection snaps, ranking 12th in the league among left tackles. His 0.4 per cent of 250 snaps had ranked fourth a year earlier.
There was no change, meanwhile, in the pressures Brown allowed, staying at 5.2 per cent – sixth in the NFL in 2020 (23 pressures allowed) and tied-second in 2021 (13).