Jadeveon Clowney Leaves Seahawks’ Cap Space in Limbo

Getty The Seahawks remained in discussions with Jadeveon Clowney until he signed with the Titans.

The Seattle Seahawks would love to know Jadeveon Clowney’s decision, and not just because they are tired of waiting. The Seahawks’ remaining cap space has been earmarked for Clowney, but if he opts to leave Seattle the front office is sure to have a contingency plan in place.

The Seahawks have an estimated $11.3 million of cap space, per ESPN’s Field Yates. The actual number is likely lower as the Seahawks make official their final few signings where agreements have already been reached. The News Tribune’s Gregg Bell noted that the Seahawks likely have to make some cap moves just to re-sign Clowney.

“#Seahawks’ Jadeveon Clowney Watch leaves them not knowing how much salary-cap space they may need ($11.3M cap space now). Need space to sign a FA like Everson Griffin+ Clowney? Just one of them? Releasing Ed Dickson, Tedric Thompson ($5M) enough? Restructure Britt ($11M cap hit)?” Bell tweeted.

There Is “Growing Thought” That Clowney May Not Sign With a Team Until Training Camp

There is a good portion of Seahawks’ fans frustrated that the Clowney watch is now on its third week. To be fair, Clowney has had a few things working against him in the free-agent market. The NFL’s response to COVID-19 has prevented Clowney from taking in-person visits with potential suitors. The bigger issue is this also means prospective teams cannot have their medical staff examine Clowney.

The pass rusher is coming off surgery to repair a core muscle injury. While Clowney has maintained he is back at 100 percent, the defensive end has not found a market willing to pay up without doing a closer look medically. All this has some around the league wondering if Clowney could hold out into training camp as The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta detailed.

“One growing thought around the league is that Clowney could take a while to find a new team, with some wondering if he could even wait into training camp,” Condotta noted. “Now, that sentence deserves the quick caveat that there’s been so little real info on this that anything could conceivably still happen — Clowney could well be picking a team as this is being written for all anyone seems to really know.”

The Seahawks May Be Forced to Make a Move Before Clowney Decides

At this point, there is a bit of speculation that Clowney could be committed to waiting things out through training camp. Regardless, the Seahawks are faced with a decision to make on Clowney’s future.

The free-agent market for pass rushers is dwindling but there are still a few available options including Everson Griffen who played under Pete Carroll at USC. The longer the Seahawks wait on Clowney, there is a greater chance that the other available options will sign elsewhere. It remains to be seen whether the Seahawks will set a deadline on their multi-year offer that is believed to be the most lucrative contract on the table.