Three recent trades Seattle Seahawks should have never made
By Lee Vowell
Frank Clark to the Chiefs
The Seahawks had a decision to make prior to the 2019 season. Keep and pay linebacker Bobby Wagner or pay and keep defensive end Frank Clark. Seattle chose Wagner. Clark was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a first-round pick in 2019 and a second-one round pick in 2020. The first round pick that Seattle picked up from the Cheifs turned into L.J. Collier.
Frank Clark versus L.J. Collier. Think about that.
Of course, John Schneider turned the second round pick into other picks and ended up with D.K. Metcalf as one of them. But this deal wasn’t Clark for Metcalf and what if it was? Seattle would still be successful of offense, admittedly less so, without Metcalf. The Seahawks have other offensive weapons though.
What Seattle didn’t have in 2019 or 2020 or 2021 probably is a true edge-rushing defensive end. Sure, Seattle did trade for Jadeveon Clowney for the 2019 season, but Clowney and Clark are different players and Clark is going to get a lot more heat on opposing quarterbacks than Clowney ever could.
Plus, in the first round of the 2020 draft. Seattle took Jordyn Brooks. Brooks is likely going to replace Wagner one day and maybe one day soon. Wagner has a cap hit of $17 million next year and $20 million in 2022. Wagner will be 32 in 2022 and he plays a position that doesn’t normally allow for high-end play well into a player’s 30s.
Clark will be 29 in 2022 and plays a position where he could still be productive into his 30s. Seattle chose poorly and should have kept Clark over Wagner. Would Seattle needed to pay Clark a couple of million dollars a year more than they are paying Wagner? Probably yes. But then Clark might have been worth it.
And is Clark having an off-year this season? For his standards, yes. But his 3 sacks (on pace for 7) and 6 quarterback hits (on pace for 14) would still lead the Seahawks.