Seattle Seahawks: Letting Jadeveon Clowney walk the difficult, right move

While Jadeveon Clowney proved his worth in several games for the Seattle Seahawks in 2019, the team should not re-sign him to a massive deal.

Before the 2019 season, the Seattle Seahawks sent Jacob Martin, Barkevious Mingo, and a 2020 third-round draft pick to Houston for Jadeveon Clowney. In the deal, Seattle agreed to not use their 2020 franchise tag on the Pro Bowl defensive end. Now, the Seahawks should embrace a future without Clowney as he hits the market in 2020 NFL free agency.

Clowney grew frustrated with the Houston Texans when the organization used the franchise tag on him in 2019. The team designated Clowney as an outside linebacker instead of a defensive end, costing the former number one overall pick several million dollars. With a long-term deal not forthcoming, the Texans sent their second-best pass rusher to Seattle.

Clowney moved to the defensive end position with the Seahawks, ensuring he’ll get paid more this offseason. However, the South Carolina product struggled in 2019. Between injuries and inconsistent play, Clowney finished the year with only 31 tackles, three sacks and 13 quarterback hits. He did force four fumbles and score two touchdowns.

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In his three Pro Bowl seasons, Clowney averaged roughly 52 tackles, eight sacks and 19 quarterback hits per year. He fell far short of those marks in 2019. While missing three games and five starts played a role in the athletic freak’s decreased production, he did not live up to Seattle’s expectations.

Outside of Seattle’s playoff games and Week 10, Clowney didn’t make a large impact. His lack of production became even more noticeable when Ezekiel Ansah struggled, and L.J. Collier never emerged as a significant contributor. Those factors alone don’t make re-signing Clowney a bad idea. However, the defensive end wants too much money for Seattle to consider bringing him back.

The Seahawks possess roughly $44 million in cap space this offseason. With that money, the team must replace two offensive linemen, a defensive tackle, an outside linebacker, and both defensive ends. Those are just the starters Seattle needs to replace. The offensive and defensive line face decimation in terms of depth, meaning they need even more attention.

With so many needs, the Seahawks cannot commit $20 million annually to Clowney, which is roughly what the star defender could ask for.

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times summed up Cloweny’s situation well in early March,

"“It’s seemed obvious all along that Clowney is going to want to try to get at least the $21 million a year Dallas gave DeMarcus Lawrence last year, and basically what the Chiefs gave to Frank Clark after acquiring him in a deal with the Seahawks.”"

Last offseason, Clark and Lawrence inked new deals that pay out $20.8 and $21 million annually, respectively. Considering that Seattle traded Clark instead of opting to pay him more than $20 million a year, it seems highly unlikely the team will go that far for Clowney.

After signing Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson to massive, long-term deals last offseason, the Seahawks do not have enough space for another near-record deal. Even if the team found a way to squeeze Clowney’s contract under the salary cap, he’s not worth it.

While the Associated Press did select Clowney as a Second Team All-Pro in 2016, he’s never been one of the game’s truly elite pass rushers. He’s never recorded 10 sacks or 25 quarterback hits in a single season. For reference, 18 players registered 10 sacks this past year and 10 players reached 25 quarterback hits.

While Clowney gave Seattle’s defense a boost in 2019, the team should not break the bank for him this offseason. Clowney possesses star potential, but he constantly deals with injuries and has yet to prove he can play at an elite level consistently. As disappointing as the pending outcome is, Clowney will sign with a new team this spring.