SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks will have the team’s leading pass rusher from the past two seasons around a little while longer.
According to his agent, Chris Clemons agreed to terms on a new, multi-year contract on Monday. He’s expected to sign the accord today.
Both Clemons’ agent Don Henderson and the team confirmed the agreement, but neither would reveal specific terms of the deal. Clemons reportedly turned down a three-year, $18 million offer from Seattle.
The 30-year-old defensive end missed most of the team’s offseason workout program, including a mandatory minicamp, to show his displeasure over a lack of a contract extension.
Clemons, who led Seattle in sacks the past two years with 11 each in 2010 and 2011, was in the final year of his deal and was scheduled to make $3 million in base salary in 2012.
Because he skipped the mandatory minicamp, Clemons missed out on a $100,000 workout bonus, and could have been fined up to $73,000 by the team.
Further, according to NFL.com, Clemons also suffered a $1 million deceleration in the final year of his deal due to missing the minicamp, meaning he would have made $4 million in base salary had he showed up in June.
But it’s expected that Clemons recovered that money and then some now that he’s received a new contract.
Clemons posting 11 sacks in back-to-back seasons is the first time for a Seattle player since Michael Sinclair finished with double-digit sacks of 12.0 and 16.5 in 1997 and 1998.
Getting a deal done with Clemons before training camp was important for Seattle because the University of Georgia product is the team’s only proven pass rusher. Seattle drafted defensive end Bruce Irvin with the No. 15 overall pick in this year’s draft, but the rookie out of West Virginia is expected to fill the role as the team’s third-down pass rusher left vacant when veteran pass rusher Raheem Brock was not brought back. Brock played about 550 snaps last year.
Veterans and rookies are scheduled to report to Seahawks training camp on Friday.
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