Seahawks Smartly Planning for Jadeveon Clowney Departure by Expressing Interest in Everson Griffen

The Seattle Seahawks are hoping to retain star pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney in the offseason, and may have a good chance at doing so considering his slow market early on in free agency. However, despite the optimism, the Seahawks are making sure they do their due diligence on the other top edge rushers remaining.

The latest buzz indicates that Seattle has inquired about longtime Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen. The nugget here is that Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll recruited Griffen to USC back in 2007, so a move to the Emerald City could entice the 32-year-old.

In February, Griffen voided the final three years of his deal with the Vikings in an effort to save the franchise money. The four-time Pro Bowler subsequently made his intentions to return to Minnesota known, and the organization was reported to hold the same interest.

However, the Vikings, despite a myriad of transactions are still faced with a salary cap quagmire. After releasing defensive tackle Linval Joseph and cornerback Xavier Rhodes, and trading wideout Stefon Diggs to Buffalo, the team still only has $11.5 million in cap space to work with.

As much as Minnesota might love to retain Griffen, it simply can't afford to, at least not without some significant financial maneuvering. Because of that, expect the Griffen-to-Seattle rumors to pick up steam in short order, especially if it starts to look like Clowney may continue his career elsewhere.