49ers Screwed Seahawks With DeForest Buckner Trade Because Jadeveon Clowney Will Now Want Even More Money
By Michael Luciano
The San Francisco 49ers stockpiling defensive linemen helped them add more draft capital this offseason when they acquired the No. 13 pick in the 2020 draft from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for DeForest Buckner.
The former Oregon Duck signed such a huge deal with the Colts, but it inadvertently may have screwed up the Seattle Seahawks' plan to re-sign pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
Blockbuster: The #49ers are trading Pro Bowl DL DeForest Buckner to the #Colts, sources say, in exchange for a first-round pick. A massive deal for both teams, with one of SF’s key players on the move.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2020
Buckner signed a five-year deal with Indianapolis that will pay him around $21 million per season. The 49ers not keeping him allowed another team to pay him insane money, which will undoubtedly affect Clowney's price tag, so Seahawks fans hoping the former Texans star would take a discount will be bitterly disappointed.
While Clowney was not as productive as Buckner last season according to box score scouts, he had a very similar impact on the Seattle defense given his versatility, strength and ability to fight through double teams.
Even if he doesn't get the same deal Buckner does in terms of money per year, Clowney is going to want close to a nine-figure deal, and there are plenty of teams willing to pay it.
I occasionally have a hard time evaluating Jadeveon Clowney, because sometimes it's like watching an alien play an entirely different sport. pic.twitter.com/wxpKnS1kbX
— Robert Mays (@robertmays) March 16, 2020
Clowney already figured to be the highest-paid edge rusher this free agency cycle, but the Buckner deal just pushed his price up even further. For a team in Seattle that gives out humungous contracts very sparingly, that could price them out of a reunion with the dominant defensive end.