The Seattle Seahawks could have a good group of edge rushers in 2025, but that comes with an asterisk. Once again, Uchenna Nwosu is entering a season where he is likely to miss a portion of it. In the last two years, Nwosu has played in only 12 of a possible 34 games.
The harsh truth is that while Nwosu is an outstanding human being, the Seahawks don't pay him to be a good person. The team pays him to play football well, and he doesn't seem capable of that recently. His offseason knee surgery was supposed to be a simple clean-up procedure, but it's turned out to be much more.
Head coach Mike Macdonald hasn't put a firm timeline on when Nwosu will return, but strongly hinted it could be after the 2025 season begins. This could have Seattle searching for someone to take Nwosu's spot in Week 1, and the answer to that could be former Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
Rumors are growing that the Seattle Seahawks could reunite with Jadeveon Clowney
ESPN reporter Brady Henderson was recently asked on the Bump and Stacy show on Seattle Sports 710 AM about the team potentially bringing in extra edge rush help and said, "I know (Seattle was) interested in Von Miller before he signed with Washington. And I still think that they’re going to add another veteran at some point, whether it’s Jadeveon Clowney...He obviously played in Seattle and has a connection to Mike Macdonald."
That last part is important, of course. Sure, Clowney played for the Seahawks, but that was back before the Earth cooled in 2019. His three sacks that season did not reflect his true impact. He was excellent against the run (as always) and disruptive when pressuring the passer.
But it was the year Clowney spent with Mike Macdonald with the Baltimore Ravens that could have more of an impact on his potential return to Seattle. That came in 2023, and the edge rusher had arguably the best season of his career in Macdonald's system. Clowney was a great fit in the scheme, and he augmented what Macdonald hoped to do.
Since 2020, Clowney has alternated between having very good years and mediocre ones. After getting 9.5 sacks and an elite run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) with Macdonald and the Ravens, for instance, he had 5.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits last year with the Carolina Panthers.
This could mean the 32-year-old edge rusher is due for another good season, and as he has already excelled in Mike Macdonald's system, the transition to another "new" team shouldn't be so difficult. Lots of things have changed with the Seahawks since Clowney last played for the team, but he has more recent experience with Macdonald that should help all involved.
The Seattle Seahawks still have money to spend, too. After releasing tight end Noah Fant before training camp, the team has $34,911,982 in cap room, according to Over the Cap. Spotrac has Jadeveon Clowney's market value at $11 million a season.
Seattle can afford that, and Clowney would be a valuable addition. The guess is his true contract won't pay him as much as $11 million in 2025, though.