Seahawks Are One Move Away From Winning the NFL Offseason
By Scott Rogust
As we've learned this past decade, you can never count out the Seattle Seahawks, regardless of the talent on their roster. That's a testament to how good of a coach Pete Carroll is. But Seattle still has some glaring needs that have to be addressed, especially if they want to compete against the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC West crown.
Perhaps their biggest area of concern is at edge rusher. The more days pass by, the less likely Jadeveon Clowney's return to Seattle becomes. Luckily, though, they can still add a quality edge rusher on the open market in the form of Everson Griffen, which is becoming downright essential these days now that their draft haul has been revealed.
Seahawks in communication with free agent Everson Griffen | Seahawks Wire via @theseahawkswire @andypattonSEA #Seahawks https://t.co/If0bzn6Lj2
— Liz Mathews (@Liz_Mathews) May 1, 2020
The Seahawks tried their hardest to bring back Clowney, but the former 2014 first overall pick has a high asking price. Even though Seattle and the other 31 teams in the league have no intention of meeting his demands, Clowney is adamant about becoming the highest paid pass rusher in the league. That's not happening in Seattle, because they'll only sign him if he drops his asking price.
The next logical choice would have been Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, but that's just not practical, either. Ngakoue carries a $17 million salary on the franchise tag in 2020, and is reportedly looking for a new deal with a $21 million annual salary. Considering Seattle's limited cap space, as of this writing, you can cross Ngakoue off the list.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider should now turn his attention to Griffen, who's obviously older than Clowney, but has been much more productive. In his 10 seasons, Griffen has been named to the Pro Bowl four times. While that's nice and all, his consistency is what's extremely valuable.
Everson Griffen is leaving the #Vikings.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 20, 2020
Statement from Griffen's agent, Brian Murphy: "We have broken off talks with Minnesota because they have to spend their money elsewhere and we decided to now focus our attention on free agency."
This past season, Griffen posted 41 tackles, 24 quarterback hits, eight sacks, and two passes defensed, not to mention he holds a career total of 74.5 sacks. Over seven sacks a season? Any team would take that in a heartbeat.
If both sides can reach an agreement, Griffen can prove his worth in Seattle under Carroll, his former USC Trojans head coach, and help the Seahawks make another playoff push. It's the best option for the Seahawks, and they need to finalize a deal right now before they lose out.