Word came out Monday that defensive end Chris Clemons had agreed to a contract extension with the Seahawks, so this doesn’t qualify as big news, but the team did make it more official Tuesday, announcing that the two sides had agreed to terms on a multi-year deal.
Clemons, who would have been a free agent after the 2012 season, skipped several of Seattle’s optional workouts in the offseason seeking a new deal, then missed a mandatory minicamp, which not only cost him $60,000 in fines, but also knocked his base salary for the year down from $4 million to $3 million according to the NFL Players Association website. The potential loss of $1 million may have helped spur negotiations, and certainly the opening of training camp this weekend also gave both sides more motivation to get something done.
Clemons, 30, came to Seattle along with a fourth-round pick in 2012 in exchange for DE Darryl Tapp. He quickly found a role in Pete Carroll’s defense as the “Leo” end, a player whose primary job was to provide a pass rushing threat. Clemons led the Seahawks in sacks with 11 each of the past two seasons, and has started every game during his two years in Seattle.
The Seahawks drafted another pass rusher, Bruce Irvin, in the first round of this year’s draft, but the idea was not to replace Clemons as much as add another dimension to a pass rush that was inconsistent last year when teams managed to slow down Clemons. With Clemons now on board, the Seahawks will hope he and Irvin, along with newly signed defensive tackle Jason Jones, can help upgrade a pass rush that produced only 33 sacks last season, a total that tied for 19th in the league.
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