Jadeveon Clowney likes the Seahawks. So what would it take to get him?

The Seahawks want a new pass rusher. Jadeveon Clowney wants a new team. What would the Texans want to make this deal happen?

The Seahawks could really use another solid pass rush artist. Frank Clark is in Kansas City and Jarran Reed will be on the bench for the first six games this year. Last year those two combined for 9.5 sacks in the first six games alone. By happy circumstance, there’s a guy on the Texans who had 9.5 sacks himself last year. Better yet, he wants to join a new team. And best of all, the Hawks are one of the two teams Jadeveon Clowney said he’s interested in joining.

There are more than a few flies in the ointment here. There are a lot, actually. First, Clowney has to sign his contract tender before he can be traded. Remember it was just a few months ago when the Seahawks faced a similar situation. Seattle found a trade partner in Kansas City, got about 115 draft picks, and everyone was happy. So maybe that isn’t such a big obstacle after all.

Another roadblock is the competition. The Dolphins apparently really want Clowney, so much so they flew him down for a meeting last week. But like the first, this may not be that big a problem. Clowney is on record as saying he’s interested in the Seahawks and the Eagles. That’s two bird teams and zero aquatic mammals. In addition, the Texans reportedly want Miami left tackle Laremey Tunsil. Cool, but the Fins have made it clear he’s not going anywhere further than South Beach.

Clowney is representing himself, as he just fired his agent. To many teams, that’s a red flag. To the Seahawks, that’s just cutting out the middle man. After all, they just made Bobby Wagner the richest middle linebacker in the game with virtually zero drama. Another year would have been nice, but clearly Seattle is more than happy to negotiate directly with players.

Seattle Seahawks

Do the Seahawks really need Clowney?

Should the Seahawks trade for Clowney? I believe Lee Vowell has answered this already. You should really check out his reasoning. For the tl;dr crowd, the answer is yes, Seattle should make this deal. For those who say the Hawks should have just kept Clark, Colby Patnode spells out exactly why this would be a very different deal. Short form: Seattle reaped those 115 draft picks by moving Clark.

I won’t cry if Seattle doesn’t get Clowney, though. His reputation as a monster was ridiculously overblown because of one huge tackle in college. You know the one. If you don’t, I’m not linking to it. He demolished a ball carrier that he outweighed by 98 pounds. I’m pretty sure if I tackled a fifth-grade kid, I’d look like a beast too. And let’s not forget that Clowney plays on the other end of the line from a guy who truly is a monster, J.J. Watt. Clowney’s best sack total is 9.5. Watt has tallied over 20 sacks twice, and over 16 two other seasons. Who are you going to worry about?

Clearly, I’m not as sold on Clowney as either of my compatriots. However, I’ll admit that he’s clearly better than anyone the Seahawks have on the squad right now. And that likely includes Ziggy Ansah. So what would it take for the Seahawks to wrangle him away from the Texans? Reportedly they want a tackle. Like Miami, there’s no way Seattle would send their left tackle away. Duane Brown is the Hawks anchor on the offensive line; he’s going nowhere.

What else does Houston need? I’m sure they wouldn’t mind getting a running back, as Lamar Miller is out for the season. As Clowney has the leverage, a package of Rashaad Penny and tackle Jamarco Jones would make the Texans blink twice. Penny hasn’t shown much this preseason, but he did average 4.9 yards per carry as a rookie. Jones pushed Germain Ifedi hard for the starting role in 2017’s camp, but an ankle injury derailed his season.

You could look at that as two projects for a three-time Pro Bowl player. If you’re wearing Texans shades, that could be a very bad deal. I look at it as a putting a lot more talent on the field than watching a guy sit out the season in a contract dispute. It would be a risky deal for the Seahawks, especially as Clowney will want some serious cash to stay beyond 2019. I don’t think Clowney is great, but really good, sure. We’ll likely discover his landing spot within hours. The Seahawks could certainly use him.