12th Man Rising
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Three moves the Seahawks still need to make

By Geoff Shull

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 02: Under laser lights, Jadeveon Clowney #90 of the Seattle Seahawks is introduced before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at CenturyLink Field on December 02, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Seahawks won, 37-30. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 02: Under laser lights, Jadeveon Clowney #90 of the Seattle Seahawks is introduced before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at CenturyLink Field on December 02, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Seahawks won, 37-30. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /
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The Seahawks made their first aggressive move of the off-season by acquiring star cornerback Quinton Dunbar from the Redskins. Seattle needs to keep this momentum going and make 3 more key moves.

The first Seahawks move is to stop playing games and re-sign Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney has made it known to the world that he has all intentions of waiting as long as it takes to get a contract he deems worthwhile.

The Seahawks are the only team that has a current physical on him. This is key, as he has an injury history and had sports hernia surgery after the season. With the NFL banning players traveling to team facilities, the Seahawks need to use this to their advantage.

To date, the contracts that Seattle has reportedly offered Clowney:

  • The first was offered during the scouting combine: a 4-year contract worth $18.5 million per year.
  • The second was offered two days after the NFL banned players traveling (March 15th): a 2-year contract worth $13.5 million per year.

Seattle has very limited cap space left, and they have several other moves that need to be made. It is imperative that the Seahawks bring back their top defensive lineman from last year. However, they cant just bring him back, they need this to be a 3- or 4-year contract to ensure they can maneuver the salary cap.

If that means they need to sweeten the deal, then do it. Clowney’s camp has reportedly been looking for the contract to be fully guaranteed. There is no chance Seattle will do that; however, they should be able to offer enough between yearly salary, incentives and guarantees to get the contract done.

The contract I have in mind will look like this:

Terms: 4 years, $77 million

Avg salary: $19.25 million

Guaranteed monies: $55 million

Cap hits by year

  • 2020: $7 million
  • 2021: $21 million
  • 2022: $24 million
  • 2023: $25 million

This will keep his year 1 cap hit relatively low. I would also offer several additional incentives to the contract that could help him reach his benchmark of $20 million per year. If he were to:

  • Reach 8 sacks: $500k
  • Reach 12 sacks: $750k
  • Make the Pro-Bowl: $250k
  • Make the All-Pro roster: $750k

This locks down Clowney for 4 more seasons, gives Seattle some stability and Clowney has an opportunity to reach his desired figure. It’s time to stop playing around, get this deal done.

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