Breaking news broke Saturday afternoon that All-Pro safety Jamal Adams had been traded from the New York Jets to the Seattle Seahawks. Adams is the third blockbuster trade in the NFC West in the past eight months, following the deals the L.A. Rams made for cornerback Jalen Ramse and the Arizona Cardinals made for receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
The Seahawks fanbase has primarily kept their focus on re-signing pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney this offseason, who has still yet to sign with a team.
With the inevitable massive contract extension for Adams now on Seattle’s plate, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the door is all but closed on Clowney returning to the Seahawks.
Clowney has been linked to a few teams this offseason, among them being the Browns and the Titans. It has been mentioned that at this point in the year, Clowney is open to a one-year deal.
While there have been no reports that the Cardinals have been in contact with Clowney, two star players expressed their interest in bringing him to the desert.
DeAndre Hopkins took to Instagram following the Jamal Adams trade to express his desire to reunite with his former Houston teammate.
The Cardinals’ defensive superstar in Chandler Jones also expressed interest in lining up across from Clowney this season on a post from @cardinalselite on Instagram.
Jones commented “LMK” on the post, and while fans can speculate as to exactly what he meant by that, it is evident he wants to see Clowney sign with the Cardinals.
So with the players vouching for Clowney, is it realistic for the team to make the move?
The Cardinals currently have only between $5-$6 million in available cap space, which isn’t near enough to meet Clowney’s contract demands. However, with Clowney now potentially seeking a one-year deal, the Cardinals could make it work.
Jess Root detailed ways in which the Cardinals could create more cap space back in March. All of the options are still available aside from trading David Johnson, which obviously already happened.
Given Jones’ enthusiasm for signing Clowney, the Cardinals may be able to extend or restructure his contract to raise their available cap.
Two viable options listed include trading OLB Haason Reddick and extending CB Patrick Peterson, the latter of which the Cardinals have already begun the negotiating process.
Another obstacle is the Cardinals having already signed OLB Devon Kennard to be their starter. While this doesn’t rule out adding another pass-rusher, it’s worth noting due to the fact that the Cardinals technically don’t have a need at edge rusher.
It would benefit Clowney to play across from Chandler Jones in a contract year, as he could put up great numbers to secure a long-term deal in the spring.
There are certainly obstacles, but should the Cardinals truly want to sign Jadeveon Clowney, they could do so.
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