Seahawks Trading for Jadeveon Clowney is Exactly What Their Frightening Defense Needs
By Scott Rogust
Former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney is in the midst of a holdout with the Houston Texans, who placed the franchise tag on him ahead of the new season. Even so, Clowney had no intentions of signing his tender, and is understood to desire a trade to another team. But the star pass rusher needs to sign the tender before he can be moved.
On Tuesday, Clowney fired his longtime agent, hinting the linebacker could expedite the process. Furthermore, Clowney met with the Miami Dolphins and head coach Brian Flores, who are interested in acquiring him. The thing is, Clowney reportedly isn't clamoring to join the Dolphins. Rather, one of his preferred destinations is the Seattle Seahawks, who by all means should begin negotiations with the Texans on a potential deal
Dolphins are “very interested” in trading for Jadeveon Clowney but he prefers the Seahawks and Eagles as “potential destinations” per @AaronWilson_NFL pic.twitter.com/lr0MtweCGb
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) August 27, 2019
The Seahawks surprised the critics last season, many of whom foretold a decline in the post-Legion of Boom era. Even so, head coach Pete Carroll did the unthinkable and pushed his team to the playoffs.
Even with the playoff berth, this defense looked far away from the glory days, ranking in the middle of the pack. Entering the 2019 regular season, the team traded away pass rusher Frank Clark, leaving a significant void off the edge.
Clowney has recorded over nine sacks in each of the last two seasons (18.5 in last 31 games), and has shown no serious health concerns. He's been named to the Pro Bowl in the past three years with the Texans, and makes for a perfect potential addition that could help shake things up in the NFC West.
All-Pro pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney reportedly wants to come to Seattle. @bcondotta has the latest: https://t.co/t2YesVGfh6
— Seattle Times Sports (@SeaTimesSports) August 27, 2019
Notably, Clowney wouldn't be able to sign a new contract with Seattle until the end of the upcoming season. For the 2020 league year, the Seahawks will have over $60 million in cap space to spend, which will give them plenty of options for locking in Clowney long-term. For now, they have over $20 million in cap space to take on Clowney's over $15 million tender.
Having Jadeveon Clowney paired up in Seattle with Pete Carroll will instill fear in the rest of the league. The Hawks need to take the plunge and work out a trade.