The Seattle Seahawks are attempting to shore up the best possible team for the upcoming 2012 season. While defensive end Chris Clemons will be returning for the upcoming season, it appears as though he is balking at a new extension.
Danny Kelly at Field Gulls relays the information that FOX Sports has learned Clemons rejected a three-year deal from the Seahawks.
"The Sports Xchange has learned that the Seahawks offered Clemons a new three-year contract through 2014 that would essentially have boosted his 2012 compensation to $8 million (from a scheduled base of $4 million), and added two years, at salaries of $4.5 million (for 2013) and $5.5 million (2014). That's a total of $18 million for three years. Clemons could have earned a $500,000 bonus for registering 10 or more sacks. The two add-on years, though, at a total of $10 million, exclusive of bonuses, would have "bought out" Clemons from a chance at free agency. And that clearly wasn't enough for the player to sacrifice the chance to market himself as early as next spring, and so the deal was rejected."
Clemons may feel that -- especially if he can put up another big season in 2012 -- the lower base salary for the 2012 will be worth what he can fetch on the open market. This will not, of course, necessarily rule out him still possibly returning as a member of the Seattle squad after the season is over.
UPDATED: A club source close to the situation has told Tacoma News-Tribune's Eric Williams "that contrary to the report, the Seahawks have not received a formal rejection on any deal, and the two sides continue to negotiate."
At the end of the day, it's still early in the offseason, and time will tell whether the two sides can come to an agreement.
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