Could Jadeveon Clowney waiting to decide in free agency help the Seahawks keep him?
Is there still hope for the Seahawks to keep Jadeveon Clowney?
If there is, it might be emanating from the floor of a cavernous convention hall in the middle of the country.
John Schneider was there last month at the NFL combine standing between podiums on the floor of the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Inside a small semi-circle formed by a handful of Seattle-area reporters, the general manager made a statement that he, his Seahawks and their fans are hoping applies to their right now.
Schneider was asked Feb. 25 if he would ask Jadeveon Clowney to give the Seahawks a chance to match another team’s offer before the three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher might sign elsewhere in free agency.
“Yeah,” Schneider said, “absolutely.”
This came to mind Monday night, the end of the first, frantic day of the league’s free-agency period. ESPN’s Josina Anderson, citing a league source, reported Clowney’s decision on whether to sign with another team in his first entry into unrestricted free agency or re-sign with the Seahawks may take “some time, days maybe.”
It’s conceivable Clowney is giving the Seahawks a chance to make a final, counter offer. It would be a sign of respect and appreciation consistent with what Clowney’s had for Seattle since he arrived last year.
Unrestricted free agents such as Clowney are now negotiating with other teams. Through franchise tags and initial signings throughout the league, Clowney now finds himself in position to become one of the highest-paid pass rushers in this year’s free-agent class, if not the highest, when the league year officially opens Wednesday at 1 p.m. He may be commanding perhaps at least $21 million per season.
That is likely too steep a price for Seattle. Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have never gone that high in the first days of the free-agency period, with anybody. But this offseason, they have more salary-cap space than they’ve had in years, $30.9 million entering Tuesday according to overthecap.com.
True, it is unusual in the NFL for a top free agent to go back to his most recent team and give it a chance to match a rich offer he gets on the market.
But with Clowney and the Seahawks, the goodwill has been working both ways since last summer.
Schneider and the Seahawks agreed in late August not to place a franchise tag on Clowney in 2020 to keep him from the market he is now entering. That was the key condition for the former first-overall pick in the NFL agreeing as Houston’s tagged player in 2019 to his trade to the Seahawks. Monday, the day teams could begin tagging players, Schneider and Seattle kept their word.
That, how he excelled while playing hurt for the Seahawks last season and how they came two games short of the Super Bowl are why he stated multiple times in the final weeks of last season he loves Seattle. He said it moments after the Seahawks’ playoff loss at Green Bay in mid-January. He’s stated publicly and to Schneider and Carroll that he loves the Seahawks’ locker room, Carroll’s environment—everything about his new team.
Clowney even went upstairs to Schneider’s office during the team’s locker clean-out day the day after the season ended with the loss at the Packers to reiterate how much he’s enjoyed his short time with the Seahawks.
No team knows Clowney’s health during last season, while he played through a sports hernia that eventually sidelined him for three of the final five regular-season games, nor his recovery prognosis since surgery in January, better than the Seahawks.
Indeed, Schneider has been hoping all along this prove to be something of a home-field advantage for Seattle in the Clowney sweepstakes, perhaps in lieu of a few million more dollars in a contract offer.
“Yeah, you’d like to think so,” Schneider said. “We know his body. We know how to take care of him.”
The GM also said the Seahawks’ stadium, CenturyLink Field, is literally a home-field advantage that Clowney should be considering in addition to money right now.
“And then also, just the fact that just the stadium that we play in,” Schneider said. “One of the primary reasons we were able to recruit Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril (in free agency years ago) was their ability to jump off the ball in that stadium and playing there eight times.
“We lost four at home (in 2019). Can’t be doing that again. But just to have that noise, those guys, the real good pass rushers know it and they have that snap anticipation.”
Still, ultimately, money will talk. It always does in the NFL.
It did again Monday.
Austin Hooper agreed to sign with Cleveland and become the league’s new highest-paid tight end. All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins went from Houston to Arizona. San Francisco sent sacking defensive tackle Deforest Buckner to Indianapolis. Buckner and his 19 1/2 sacks the last two seasons went for the 49ers gaining the Colts’ first-round choice in next month’s draft. Then Indianapolis gave Buckner a new deal worth $21 million per year.
That re-set the free-agent market for top NFL defensive linemen and pass rushers—and further raised Clowney’s price.
Reed re-signs: 2 years, $23M
The Seahawks’ first contract in 2020 free agency was to re-sign defensive tackle Jarran Reed to a two-year contract worth $23 million.
Carroll believes Reed can return to his 10 1/2-sack form of 2018, before a six-game NFL suspension for alleged domestic assault derailed his 2019.
Luke Willson’s back
Luke Willson announced his return to the Seahawks on a new contract agreement.
In a way only the popular, outgoing veteran tight end would:
Willson, who turned 30 in January, signed back with Seattle in September after the Seahawks traded tight end Nick Vannett to Pittsburgh. The Seahawks drafted Willson in the fifth round in 2013 as a pass-catching tight end from Canada and Rice University. Willson played his first five NFL seasons with the Seahawks (2013-17), and 89 of his 102 career receptions are with Seattle.
He signed before the 2018 season in free agency with Detroit then spent last preseason with Oakland. The Raiders released him Aug. 30. He had eight catches for 79 yards in eight games for Seattle in 2019.
His return means the Seahawks have at tight end newly signed Greg Olsen, Will Dissly coming off a ruptured Achilles tendon, Jacob Hollister and Willson.
They are likely to release often-injured Ed Dickson, who spent last season on injured reserve. That would save them $3 million against the 2020 salary cap. Tyrone Swoopes is an exclusive-rights free agent.
Tenders to 4 restricted free agents
Seattle also tendered contract offers to all four of its restricted free agents, as expected.
The team is thus likely to retain wide receiver David Moore, center Joey Hunt, Hollister and defensive end Branden Jackson for 2020.
