Seahawks are very interested in a pair of veteran pass rushers
By Geoff Shull
The Seahawks appear to have officially moved on from the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes. They are discussing deals with a pair of veteran pass rushers.
The Seahawks are discussing deals with a pair of veteran defensive ends in Clay Matthews and Everson Griffen. The team appears to have finally moved on from Jadeveon Clowney. The asking price is simply too high for what the team is willing to spend this late into free agency.
While the Seahawks appear to have moved on from Jadeveon Clowney, who wants more than they're willing to pay, the team has interest in two veteran free agent pass rushers: LB Clay Matthews and DE Everson Griffen. A deal could happen soon.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) August 6, 2020
Meanwhile, the connection between Seattle and the pair of pass rushers is completely understandable. They are known entities. Both are established pass rushers who are coming off of strong 2019 campaigns. They both also played under Coach Carroll at the University of Southern California.
Seattle, as it is now, is set to go with a very young defensive line. Adding another veteran into the mix makes too much sense. While I am very high on Rasheem Green, I don’t see a lot of depth behind him.
Seattle is known to rotate defensive lineman more than just about any other team in the NFL. This makes having depth all the more important. Especially with the risk of having a player landing on the IR due to COVID.
Clay Matthews stats for 2019:
- Games Played: 13
- Tackles: 37
- Sacks: 8
- TFL: 9
- Pressure rate: 14.3%
- Previous contract: 2 years, $9.25 million
- Suggested contract: $3 million
Everson Griffen stats for 2019:
- Games Played: 15
- Tackles: 41
- Sacks: 8
- TFL: 11
- Pressure rate: 11.7%
- Previous contract: 4 years, $58 million
- Suggested contract: $5.5 million
Both players have their pros and cons. Both are in their early-mid 30’s. Both have question marks surrounding them. Griffen has struggled in recent seasons with some mental health issues, while Matthews broke his hand last year and has struggled with consistency.
In my opinion, Griffen is the safer bet in terms of production. However, if I had to put my money on it, I think Seattle will elect to sign Matthews. I think Seattle is all in on Rasheem Green as the starting 5-tech. I could see Matthews being more open to a first man off the bench role, compared to Griffen.
Next. Seahawks 2020 position preview: Linebackers. dark
This deal reportedly will likely come together quickly. Don’t be surprised if Seattle makes a couple of other moves in the coming weeks. One of which is the worst kept secret in the NFL. Seattle and Josh Gordon really want to reunite. The other is adding a veteran defensive tackle. Someone like Damon Harrison, if he decides to play.