What does the Seahawks-Jamal Adams trade mean for Jadeveon Clowney?

Following the Seattle Seahawks trading for former Jet All-Pro Jamal Adams, are they out of the running for Jadeveon Clowney?

Jadeveon Clowney has been one of the most intriguing free agents in the NFL this offseason. When healthy, everyone knows that Clowney is capable of being one of the best defensive ends in the league. Despite that fact, he still remains unsigned with training camp being so close to starting.

Seattle made a splash to fortify its defense by trading for Jets safety Jamal Adams in exchange for draft picks and former starter Bradley McDougald. In the long term, Seattle will have to worry about how to pay Adams top-end safety money. In the short, he’d rather them focus on bringing Clowney in for the 2020 season.

Based on the financials, McDougald was slated to make $3.6 million in 2020 with a year left on his deal. Adams, on the other hand, will be making $825K in 2020. and is already signed on for his fifth-year option for the following season. Seattle is doing its best to make ends meet in order to meet Clowney’s potential asking price on a one-year deal.

Seattle signing Clowney remains farfetched after the Adams trade

By shaving close to $3 million in cap by moving McDougald for Adams, Seattle has theoretically cleared a pathway to keeping Clowney on a one-year deal. It remains unlikely, though, especially considering both players want their long-term futures secure.

For now, finding the combination of the best deal with the best fit should be Clowney’s priority. In order for Seattle to even be considered, Adams would have to wait on his long-term deal, as would Clowney, which has been his prime objective all offseason. It seems farfetched to assume that Adams and Clowney would both make those personal sacrifices.

Even though the raw stats from 2019 of 31 total tackles, seven for loss and three sacks in 13 games are not eye-opening, Clowney played most of the year injured. Nonetheless, he still proved his value in the running game for Seattle, which is why he deserves to maximize his worth.

The Clowney free agency conundrum should be figured out soon. While the Adams trade at first glance does not bode well for Clowney, it all depends on the lens you are looking through. With Seattle in “win now” mode, anything is theoretically possible.