Published Mar 31, 2020
What's the latest on Clowney? It's a waiting game
Wes Mitchell  •  GamecockScoop
Football/Recruiting Insider
Twitter
@WesMitchellGC

Where will former South Carolina All-American Jadeveon Clowney play this season?

With two weeks of NFL free agency complete, and many of the top free agents locked in with their new teams, the former No. 1 overall draft pick remains unsigned.

The Seahawks, the team in which Clowney played 13 games for last season, reportedly have offered Clowney a multi-year deal worth around $18.5 million per year. But NFL reporters believe the former Gamecock is looking for more money, apparently in the neighborhood of $20-21 million, putting him alongside Khalil Mack, DeMarcus Lawrence and Frank Clark as the highest-paid edge guys in the league.

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On Tuesday, reports surfaced that the Seahawks are releasing tight end Ed Dickson and safety Tedric Thompson, clearing up much-needed cap space for the team to address its pass-rush need. But it remains to be seen if the organization is willing to give Clowney the contract he desires.

Any other year, Clowney, who is coming off sports hernia surgery this January, would travel and meet in-person with multiple teams' doctors to prove a clean bill of health. But the coronavirus pandemic has shut down NFL team facilities and placed future team activities on hold for the near future.

It creates an interesting waiting game for both Clowney and the Seahawks. According to the reports out of Seattle, Clowney is clearly Plan A for the franchise.

But it remains to be seen if the Seahawks are willing to meet Clowney's demands and, while Clowney can afford to wait, with the NFL Draft just over three weeks away, the Seahawks need to have some idea of what direction their offseason is headed.

Clowney could, of course, just decide to take a lesser contract for a single season and bet on himself, so to speak, in an effort to raise his stock and re-enter free agency in 2021.

But for now, it's a waiting game for all involved.