SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Report: Seahawks FA Clowney ‘hasn’t found the market he expected’

Mar 18, 2020, 10:49 AM | Updated: 11:17 am

Seahawks DE Jadeveon Clowey...

Seahawks FA Jadeveon Clowney's market is reportedly worse than he expected. (Getty)

(Getty)

According to a recent report, the Seahawks could be in line to retain defensive end Jadeveon Clowney for a more team-friendly deal than initially anticipated.

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Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports that Clowney “hasn’t found the market he expected,” adding that the best offer Clowney receives could very well be from the Seahawks after all.

The report is a little surprising, as Clowney was considered by most to be the best pass rusher in free agency.

With other top pass rushers like Yannick Ngakoue, Chris Jones and Shaquill Barrett all receiving the franchise tag from their respective teams, that left Clowney, a former No. 1 pick, as the top edge rusher on the open market.

Garafolo later added that Clowney is still going to receive a hefty paycheck, but it likely won’t be at or near the top of contracts dished out to premier edge rushers.

Demarcus Lawerence of the Dallas Cowboys has the top contract of any NFL defensive end at $21 million per year, per Spotrac, and Chicago Bears outside linebacker/pass rusher Khalil Mack has the largest contract of any defensive player in the NFL at $23.5 million.

There were reports earlier in the offseason that Clowney and his camp would be seeking a record-setting deal, making him either the highest-paid or one of the the highest-paid defensive players in the league.

While he’ll almost certainly receive a large contract as Garafolo noted, it could be less than $20 million annually. It was thought that the Seahawks were hesitant to pay more than $18 million annually for Clowney.

Kevin Patra wrote a story for NFL.com on Garafolo’s report, and speculated that a reason why Clowney’s market could be down is because of the NFL’s restriction on conducting physicals due to the coronavirus. Clowney has a fairly long injury history, missing nearly all of his rookie season and missing contests and playing hurt in 2019 due to a core injury that required offseason surgery.

Additionally, Clowney’s market could me smaller than expected because of his lack of statistics.

Clowney is a disruptive force on the defensive line, but he has never recorded more double-digit sacks in a single season. He is regularly double-teamed, which causes some issues, but he still forces pressures, is very good against the run and he can single-handedly take over games, like he did in 2019 against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10.

Also helping Seattle’s cause is two teams seen as contenders for Clowney, the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants, have spent a lot of money on defense already. The Colts traded for DeForest Buckner and signed him to a lucrative long-term deal while the Giants have signed multiple starters and placed the franchise tag on defensive lineman Leonard Williams.

The 2020 league year kicks off Wednesday afternoon, and that’s when players can officially sign with new teams, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if Clowney makes his decision very soon.

Follow 710Sports.com’s Brandon Gustafson.

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Report: Seahawks FA Clowney ‘hasn’t found the market he expected’