Should he have a big game vs. the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney could be poised to cash-in during his free agency.
When the Seattle Seahawks traded for defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the Houston Texans this year, we all had a feeling it would be a one-year rental for the Seahawks with the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
After three straight Pro Bowl seasons with the Texans from 2016-18, Clowney’s production dipped to only three sacks in his 2019 campaign with Seattle. That being said, should he have a huge game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday evening, Cowney could be poised for a serious payday in free agency.
Clowney will be in his age-27 season in 2020 with 32.0 quarterback sacks to his name and plenty of postseason experience to boot. Though he has never had 10-plus sacks in any season, his marquee name and a big game vs. the Packers will have him cashing in during free agency.
No, Seattle shouldn’t match any ludicrous offer he garners this spring but should let him go to work on Sunday vs. Green Bay. Should the “Road Warrior” 2019 Seahawks be able to advance to the NFC Championship, Clowney’s presence on defense will be a big reason for that. And it’s not just his play that could have him ready to strike oil this offseason, it’s the stage he’ll be on.
Clowney’s name has already been prevalent in this week’s news cycle for the questionable hit he had on Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Carson Wentz in the NFC Wild Card round. Wentz had to leave the game with a concussion and Seattle had no problem ending the Eagles’ Super Bowl dreams in Philadelphia last Sunday night.
Next up for Clowney will be Aaron Rodgers. The Divisional round is a bigger stage than the Wild Card round and the Packers are a larger nationwide brand than the Eagles. A great performance will propel Clowney up teams’ boards. They’ll overpay, but that’s fine for a guy like Clowney.
Sure, the regular season was a disappointing one for Clowney. He only played in 13 games, his fewest since his sophomore year in the league in 2015, registering the lowest sack total of his career outside of his injury-riddled rookie season in 2014. But a strong finish to the year in the postseason will inevitably change the narrative on him entering 2020.
The good news for Clowney and the Seahawks is that they face almost no pressure in this game. Green Bay is the No. 2 seed in the NFC and is coming off a first-round bye. This is Rodgers’ first postseason without Mike McCarthy as head coach. It’s also the first time Matt LaFleur will be coaching in a postseason game.
If Seattle is to win this game, it again will have to be a defensive struggle like it was with Philadelphia last week. Should Green Bay have to play from behind at any point, all that means is more opportunities for Clowney to pin his ears back and try to bring Rodgers to the Frozen Tundra turf.
With a trip to the NFC Championship on the line, one would think defensive-minded Carroll might put a freak athlete like Clowney in a position to make a play.