Getty Jadeveon Clowney continues to play the waiting game in free agency.
For weeks, the Seattle Seahawks have been counted out in the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes, but after the draft, head coach Pete Carroll expressed surprising optimism about their chances to retain the pass rusher. Carroll noted that he has stayed in contact with Clowney and has “a pretty good feeling” given the pass rusher is still on the market.
“Just staying in touch with him, he is kind of patient with the time frames that are out there and all that, but he knows that the Seahawks is a place that he had some success and that he had a really good time and contributed to our club,” Carroll explained during the team’s post-draft press conference. “It is a pretty good feeling for him being out there still. Johnny [GM John Schneider] will take care of it and if there is an opportunity that makes sense, we’ll dive back in and pursue it.”
Seahawks general manager John Schneider took a much more cautious approach when asked about Clowney. Schneider did not sound as optimistic as Carroll, but once again refused to shut the door on Clowney returning to Seattle.
“We don’t shut the door on anything, really,” Schneider noted. “Basically, with Clowney, let’s put it out there. He did a great job for us. He was amazing this past year. We were in negotiations with his agent for a long time and at some point, you need to move on and keep conducting business. It’s not Jadeveon’s fault, it’s nobody’s fault. You have to keep moving, man or you are going to get beat.”
The Seahawks Cleared More Than $12 Million in Cap Space
Carroll and Schneider’s comments were made just a day before the recent roster cuts. There had been rumblings that the Seahawks could release Justin Britt, but with no signing in place, it was a bit surprising to see Seattle move on from their starting center. Not only did the Seahawks release Britt, but Seattle also cut starting guard D.J. Fluker.
The two moves created more than $12 million in cap space. The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta reported that the roster cuts do not necessarily mean a signing is on the horizon. The Seahawks also needed space to sign their new draft class including undrafted players.
“The moves today leave Seattle with about $14 million in cap space by my rough calculations, without accounting for Bruce Irvin’s contract, which has not been processed. That does account for the roughly $8 million needed for the draft class,” Condotta tweeted.
The Cap Space Could Be Used to Sign a Veteran Player Like Everson Griffen
The cap space does not necessarily indicate that the Seahawks are looking at bringing back Clowney. Seattle could opt to sign a veteran player like Everson Griffen who is still on the market.
There is also the idea of a potential trade for a player like Yannick Ngakoue. Yet, Carroll’s comments on Clowney show the team remains in contact with the pass rusher and still holds out hope that they can re-sign him. It also indicates that Clowney is in no hurry to make a decision and could be hoping to see more interest now that the NFL draft has concluded.
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