Ex-Seahawk Cliff Avril Understands Jadeveon Clowney's Free Agency Situation

After dealing with a poor market as a free agent himself in 2013, former Seahawks star Cliff Avril can relate to the struggles Jadeveon Clowney is facing trying to make a decision for his football future.

Heading into this offseason, most people around the league didn’t think it would take very long for Jadeveon Clowney to sign a new contract. However, the complete opposite has transpired through the first two weeks of free agency.

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, players haven’t been allowed to visit team facilities and participate in physicals, which has undoubtedly hurt Clowney’s market this offseason.

While the three-time Pro Bowler is still expected to sign with someone this offseason, his new deal will likely be worth much lower than he had previously envisioned.

Back on Monday, former Seahawk fan favorite Cliff Avril joined Joe Fann of NBC Sports Northwest and expressed what he thinks is probably going through Clowney’s head right now as he deals with this grueling free agency situation.

“Clowney, in this particular situation, I know he’s freaking out. He’s probably thinking about firing his agent,” Avril discussed. “He probably thinks no one likes him. It’s a stressful moment, and you start to doubt and question all of these different things, especially when you’re considered one of the top pass rushers out there, and yet you’re still on the market.”

Similar to Clowney, Avril was also considered as one of the top pass rushers available on the free agent market back in 2013. Despite producing 9.5 sacks in 2012, he also experienced a diminished market and ultimately settled for a two-year $13 million contract with Seattle that was less than his perceived value.

Reflecting on his past experiences, the former Purdue star admitted how difficult being a free agent can be and how similar the process is to the NFL Draft.

“It sucks because free agency is only fun for about 10 guys. Outside of that, free agency is nerve-racking. It’s just like that draft,” Avril explained. “The top 10 picks, those guys, they’re good. They know where they’re going. They know what check they’re going to get. Anybody past that, it’s uncertainty and all those different things. People are panicking.”

At the end of the day, Avril believes that it would be best for Clowney to return to the Seahawks this offseason, even if it’s on a one-year deal.

Based on the success that Clowney had last season, the former Seahawk thinks that returning to the Pacific Northwest in 2020 would allow the 27-year old defensive end to perform effectively and become a top free agent once again next spring.

“It’s a known organization that you were just with,” Avril said. “You don’t have to relearn the defense. You don’t have to relearn the coaches’ names and different things like that. It gives you the best opportunity to go out there and perform at a high level and hopefully do this thing all over again next year.”

Given the circumstances, a second season in Seattle appears to make the most sense for Clowney. As Avril noted, if he stays healthy and maintains his production level next season, then he'd be able to reenter the open market in 2021 and likely have more bidders for his services. 

For the Seahawks' sake, they're hoping for a decision from Clowney in the next few weeks, or even sooner. While a return to Seattle makes a lot of sense, no one can be sure of where he will be playing next season until he makes his final decision and the longer he waits, the bigger bind he puts the organization in trying to improve the pass rush.