Seahawks Lose Jadeveon Clowney to Titans, Leaving Massive Void on Defensive Line

Nearly six months after he became an unrestricted free agent, the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes officially came to an end late into the evening on September 5.

Unfortunately for Seahawks fans, it didn't end with their team retaining their prized edge defender. Instead, the former No. 1 overall pick will reunite with coach Mike Vrabel, who previously worked with him as a defensive coordinator with the Texans, by signing a one-year deal worth up to $15 million with the Titans.

With the clock ticking for Clowney to pick a team for 2020, it looked like the Seahawks might stage one of their classic fourth quarter comebacks to reel him back in after he turned down multiple offers to return this offseason. But while they "monitored" the situation, general manager John Schneider waited far too long to get into a no-huddle offense to have a chance at bringing him back.

Based on various reports, including from Josina Anderson, Seattle remained involved in pursuit of Clowney until the final hour. But as the team had done ever since the early stages of free agency when they changed course after making other roster moves, they weren't willing to pay a few extra million dollars to lure him back.

It wasn't as if the Seahawks couldn't have opened up enough cap space to offer a $15 or $16 million deal for one year at the last moment. There were a few veterans on the roster who could have been cut to help facilitate the deal.

But all along, that clearly hasn't been Schneider's game plan. From the outset of free agency, Seattle reportedly low-balled Clowney with a two-year deal worth around $13 million annually. Expecting north of $20 million per year, no other teams stepped up to the plate with an offer coming close to those demands, leading to one of the longest, most-prolonged contract decisions in NFL history.

It shouldn't come as a surprise Seattle didn't value Clowney as the player likely expected they would entering this process. Schneider refused to pay Frank Clark market value one year earlier coming off a season with 13.5 sacks, trading him to the Chiefs for a first-round pick and a future second-round pick.

After registering only 3.0 sacks in his lone season with the Seahawks, there was no way Schneider would consider giving him $20 million or more per year, especially considering Clowney's injury history. A multi-year deal below that threshold could have been signed before free agency began, but Clowney and his representatives thought he would have a flood of better offers once he hit the market.

Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early March, Seattle shifted its offseason strategy to short-term contracts. That included Clowney, who reportedly turned down a two-year deal worth $27 million during the first week of free agency.

After waiting for his decision and losing out on a couple other top tier rushers as a result in the first few weeks of free agency, Schneider knew the Seahawks needed to be proactive with their pass rush. As a result, he signed Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa to one-year contracts, which along with a series of other signings quickly chewed up most of the team's cap space.

Still, Seattle didn't completely turn away from Clowney just yet. The front office continued to stay in touch with his agent and a few other offers were made at a lower price point, only to be turned down. When given one last shot this weekend to sway him back to the Pacific Northwest, they hung around but refused to sweeten their offer.

Now that he's officially gone, Clowney's departure leaves a substantial hole on the Seahawks defensive line. But through this whole ordeal, the organization seemed content with that happening, choosing to address their pass rush through more affordable means and investing in their secondary by trading for safety Jamal Adams and cornerback Quinton Dunbar instead.

There's no denying it's a calculated gamble by Schneider. If Adams and Dunbar both thrive in Seattle's defense as hoped, then there's a solid chance those additions will make the pass rush up front more effective by default. Under that scenario, losing Clowney may wind up not being a big deal at all, especially if Mayowa and Irvin can come close to replicating their production from a year ago at pennies on the dollar.

Considering the plethora of question marks up front, however, there's also a chance the Seahawks' decision not to pay him will backfire. The team is putting a tremendous amount of faith in players such as Rasheem Green, L.J. Collier, and rookie Alton Robinson to lift one of the league's worst pass rushes from a year ago and a run defense that already struggled some last year will surely be worse without Clowney.

With Russell Wilson in his prime and Seattle's title window wide open, refusing to pay a few extra million to keep a star edge defender - albeit one who isn't a premier pass rusher - could be the difference between competing for a championship and another quick playoff exit. Once the dust settles, it could very well go down as one of Schneider's biggest mistakes at the helm.