Getty Seahawks general manager John Schneider (left) and head coach Pete Carroll appear to have won the Russell Wilson trade.
Few teams have as much familiarity with Jadeveon Clowney as the Seattle Seahawks who remains available in free agency. The Seahawks traded for Clowney in 2019, but the pass rusher ended up bolting for the Titans just one year later.
At the time, Seattle was unable to agree to a long-term deal with Clowney who has since signed a series of one-year contracts each offseason. Heavy Sports NFL insider Matt Lombardo views the Seahawks, Buccaneers and Bears as the best fits for Clowney.
“If Jadeveon Clowney could stay on the field, there’s little doubt that he would be one of the game’s most disruptive and productive front-seven defenders,” Lombardo wrote on March 30, 2023. “He just hasn’t played a full season since 2017.
“In 2022, Clowney produced 2.0 sacks in 12 games for the Cleveland Browns, one year removed from 9.0 sacks during the 2021 campaign.
“Clowney brings a unique blend of explosive speed, strength and power that makes him difficult to keep out of the backfield, and out of the quarterback’s face. Because Clowney is still available this late into free agency, combined with his lengthy injury history, he might be able to be had for a team-friendly deal, especially for a defense looking to add a rotational edge rusher with upside.”
The challenge for Seattle is the team is running out of cap space after being aggressive in free agency. Spotrac projects the Seahawks have just $3.4 million in remaining cap room. Seahawks general manager John Schneider admitted the team’s splashy moves are likely over.
“We are pretty tapped out,” Schneider told The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta at the annual league meetings. “So we have to be very careful how we proceed.”
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Probably should block Jadeveon Clowney
That said, there are ways for the Seahawks to get creative in order to land Clowney, either through restructuring current contracts or adding void years to the pass rusher’s deal. Clowney signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Browns last offseason. The Seahawks may be able to land Clowney for even cheaper given the former No. 1 pick does not appear to have a massive market developing.
Despite the team’s financial constraints, Schneider admitted Seattle still has work to do by adding “three or four more guys” to help on defense. The good news is the Seahawks have four picks inside the first two rounds in the upcoming draft.
“It’s coming along,” Schneider remarked to Condotta. “It’s definitely coming along. We definitely need three or four more guys that we need to help out on that side. But the quality of guys we’ve added, I’m really happy about it.”
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Jadeveon Clowney tip drill.
Jadeveon Clowney takes it to the crib.
TOUCHDOWN SEAHAWKS 6️⃣
(via @FOXSports)
Prior to having a falling out with the Browns over usage, Clowney posted 28 tackles, four quarterback hits, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery during 12 appearances in 2022. The three-time Pro Bowler is just one season removed from notching nine sacks and 19 quarterback hits for Cleveland.
Pro Football Focus gave Clowney a respectable 75.8 grade in 2022. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll plans to recruit more players who are willing to play on a bit of a discount. Could Carroll make a call to the team’s former star pass rusher?
“There’s a lot of work to do still, we know that,” Carroll told ESPN’s Brady Henderson at the NFL owners meetings. “We’re faced now with different circumstances to deal with, just because we’ve spent a lot of money already … but we have a lot of work to do. We’ve got a couple of great spots for guys who want to come here.”