Neither Jadeveon Clowney or the Seattle Seahawks have closed the door on a reunion, but after nearly six weeks of being on the open market it is looking less and less likely that the big time defensive end will be back in the green and blue next season.
In fact, Clowney’s waiting has actually lowered the price Seattle is willing to pay for his services, a league source told ESPN’s Brady Henderson on Wednesday.
On Jadeveon Clowney, my understanding is he would have to take significantly less money than what the Seahawks previously offered him in order for a reunion to happen. The team hasn't shut the door entirely on Clowney, but bringing him back isn't considered likely at this point.
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) May 6, 2020
Clowney originally wanted a contract in the $21 million dollar range annually, with the asking price reportedly dropping to roughly $17 million last month.
Seattle does not currently have an offer on the table, according to Henderson, after Clowney rejected their latest.
The team has roughly $21 million in cap space at the moment, but that does not include the contract of Bruce Irvin, which has yet to be finalized, as well as other potential costs against the cap.
Additionally, general manager John Schneider has made it very clear he hopes to have additional cap space available to them during the season.
“We have to be careful with our budget and our salary cap because as you guys have seen, we take pride in our ability to work with the coaches and try to build our team throughout the season,” Schneider said in a radio interview shortly after the draft. “This thing doesn’t stop when you get to 53. It doesn’t stop after the draft. There will be cap casualty guys out there throughout the offseason. What you don’t want to do is bring yourself right to the point where you’re not able to add players that are all of the sudden available on the market that you didn’t see coming.”
Although Clowney indicated he is interested in a return, and Schneider has not shut the door, the team opted to move on with their offseason by signing Irvin and Benson Mayowa, two guys who combined for 15.5 sacks last year.
Irvin and Mayowa join Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson, the two edge defenders Seattle selected in the NFL draft.
Factoring in the team’s confidence in L.J. Collier and Rasheem Green next season, the Seahawks could ultimately decide to move forward with who they already have on the roster, outside of maybe making their customary veteran addition on the interior defensive line.
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