Getty The Seahawks are not out of the running for Jadeveon Clowney.
Jadeveon Clowney’s asking price is coming down after weeks of staying on the free-agent market. Clowney has lowered the annual salary that he is seeking to the $17 to $18 million range, down from the more than $20 million he was originally looking for, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini.
“As we continue to watch the market for Jadeveon Clowney, I am told by several sources the asking price has been moved off that $20mil+ number and it’s closer to $17-18mil. This could spark more interest. Also told Titans and Seahawks are still ‘interested,'” Russini explained on Twitter.
Clowney’s asking price would put him in the range of some of the Seahawks’ reported offers. Sports Illustrated’s Corbin Smith previously reported that the Seahawks’ offered Clowney an annual salary of $18.5 million for a multi-year deal. The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta reported that the Seahawks’ offer was considerably lower in the $13-15 million salary range.
But the general consensus is that Seattle’s offer was more in the $13-15 million-per-year range, though there has been some conjecture the Seahawks might have had a couple of different offers – a shorter-term deal of one or two years for less money (because all the cap hits would have to be taken in that one or two years but allowing Clowney to get to free agency again quickly); and a longer-term deal with a higher average (which spreads out the cap hit but also probably includes ways for Seattle to get out of it pretty easily in the final year or two).
The Titans Publicly Confirmed Their Interest in Clowney
The Titans and Jets have been two teams consistently linked to Clowney. Titans GM Jon Robinson confirmed that the team has been in contact with Clowney. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel worked with Clowney during their time together in Houston and praised the pass rusher’s work ethic.
“When I coached J.D., J.D. was prepared,” Vrabel said, per TennesseeTitans.com. “We did a lot with him and put him in a lot of different places to try and have him help us affect the game. And he played extremely hard. … We asked him to do a lot, and he did do a lot for us. I never had an issue with J.D.’s effort on the field.”
The Seahawks Are No Longer Going to “Sit Idle”
The Seahawks have been content to wait on Clowney through three weeks of free agency. Seattle has made minimal moves to improve the defensive line, something Seahawks GM John Schneider noted was a top priority heading into the offseason.
The Seahawks had been quiet aside from bringing back Bruce Irvin, but it looks like this may be changing. Seattle recently signed Benson Mayowa, and Smith noted that the Seahawks appear to no longer want to “sit idle” as they wait for Clowney to decide.
“Seattle isn’t going to sit idle any longer while Clowney tries to figure out what he’s going to do. They already missed out on a bunch of rushers with belief they’d get him re-signed. Irvin/Mayowa come at very good price for 15.0 sacks combined a year ago,” Smith said on Twitter.
Clowney lowering his asking price would seem to work in the Seahawks’ favor, but it remains to be seen if the pass rusher will take Seattle’s offer. Both sides may need to compromise to make a deal happen.