Chris Clemons of the Seattle Seahawks has a new contract, and in many ways he represents the last major contractual issue for the Hawks during this off-season. This was a conflict that has been brewing for some time, but it is good to see the two sides work out an agreement so that Clemons can get to work. Clemons had reportedly lost a great deal of money by skipping mandatory team activities, but apparently he will not lose as much now that he has a new deal. Hopefully he can continue to be a productive pass rusher for Seattle and hopefully this will be money well spent.
Removing a distraction
Football is hard enough enough with a lot of distractions. Contracts are a necessarily evil of football and it is understandable that players want to get paid what they are worth. Clemons did receive some criticism since a percentage of fans will expect athletes to play out their current contracts. However, give credit to the Seahawks for getting this resolved so that it didn't drag into the season. As a fan, it has been good to see management take care of business this off-season and not allow for a lot of drama to develop.
No details
We have not received a lot of details regarding this deal, but you have to assume that it is a multi-year contract that doesn't extend much beyond 2-3 years. The speculation is that the deal goes through 2014, which sounds about right for a 30-year-old NFL player. Clemons has been a productive defensive end over the last two seasons, but the NFL is a league that does not keep older guys around just to be sentimental. This could be the last contract that Chris signs, which is part of the reason that he was holding out for more money.
Not your replacement...your partner!
There was some speculation that Clemons was upset about the Seahawks drafting Bruce Irvin, who Chris may have perceived to be his replacement. We don't know what went on behind closed doors, but perhaps management was able to convince Clemons that Irvin is intended to be a complement to Chris rather than his successor. Irvin is an intriguing athlete, but I have doubts that Seattle sees him as being ready to step in and replace Clemons.
Regardless, Clemons is in, and we can move on to training camp. Go Seahawks!
Sources:
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/60439/on-seahawks-new-deal-with-chris-clemons
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2018755838_hawk24.html
The author lives in Los Angeles, but grew up in Seattle and still roots faithfully for the Seahawks. He has been rooting for the Hawks since the old school days of Jim Zorn and Steve Largent. You can follow him on Twitter @tpheifer.
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