Jadeveon Clowney: Former Texans Teammate Duane Brown Helped Sell Him on Seahawks
New Seattle Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney says a former teammate from his time with Houston Texans helped sell him on the idea of playing in the Pacific Northwest.
Clowney will not have the franchise placed on him in 2020 as part of the trade, while the Texans are paying him a $7 million signing bonus, with Seattle forking over the remaining $8 million owed him this season.
Clowney says it was left tackle Duane Brown that planted the seed of suiting up with Seattle in his head.
"He was like, 'You need to come play with us," Clowney said. "You'll love it here. Great weather. It's not hot like Houston. Great fan support. Other great teammates on this team. Come be a part of something great,'" Clowney recalled. "I was like, 'Man, you know what? I'm going to look into that, try to get up there with you guy."
The 26-year-old Clowney refused to sign his franchise tender with Houston and rebuffed trade offers from the Miami Dolphins.
"I just really tried to take control of what I could control, as far as where could I play at and how could I be traded, as far as that," Clowney said. "I was just taking that into consideration. It was like, 'If I don't sign the tag, maybe I could decide where I end up going,' and I got somewhere I wanted to be. That's what happened."
Clowney, who had nine sacks and one forced fumble last season, is set to play in Seattle's regular season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
