Seahawks, Texans first talked Jadeveon Clowney trade before draft

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The trade sending Jadeveon Clowney to the Seahawks became official on Sunday, but the genesis of the deal actually happened much earlier.

Seahawks General Manager John Schneider told Albert Breer of SI.com that he first spoke to the Texans about a trade before the draft, but the pending extensions for Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner left the team with other priorities. Schneider said that Clowney’s resistance to a deal with the Dolphins helped spark the round of talks that led to a deal this weekend because he liked that Clowney wanted to go to a team with a chance of contending this year.

One of the first inklings that a deal might happen was a tweet from Seahawks left tackle Duane Brown, who played with Clowney in Houston before his own bombshell move to Seattle. Brown’s googly eyes weren’t the only way he factored into the deal. Schneider said that he spoke to Brown about Clowney and that the veteran’s positive review combined with Clowney’s ability helped push it over the finish line.

“He can do whatever he wants to do when he wants to do it,” Schneider said. “That’s what sticks out — he can do whatever he wants to do whenever he wants to do it. He’s a freak athletically.”

Clowney could be gone after the season, but the price the Seahawks had to pay — a third-round pick, two players and a little more than half Clowney’s salary — made that a reasonable risk to Schneider because “you never feel like you have enough pass rushers” in a push to make it back to the postseason.