Cliff Avril was confident going into free agency, he felt like he was one of the best defensive ends in the league. In fact he felt like he was going to get a contract similar to Mario Williams. Instead there wasn’t very much interest from teams around the league. That being said, nothing really broke rumor wise, and if you are going to get mega money in free agency there are going to be a lot of rumors about your eventually destination.
There just wasn’t rumors to be heard regarding Avril, and no one inked a deal with him in the first day of NFL free agency (March, 12th). Apparently he didn’t have to wait that long to ink his deal;
Cliff Avril has agreed to terms with Seattle, per source.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 13, 2013
While the contract terms have yet to be announced, it sounds like it’s a pretty good deal for the Seahawks. It sounds like the Avril will be joining the Seahawks on a two-year deal worth $15 million.
Now that’s a pretty darn cheap for a guy who was expecting to receive $40 million over a two-year period; it probably is a prove me deal, considering that he had Suh and Fairley collapsing the pocket. Another benefit is that since Avril is 26, after this deal is up he will be 28 years old and really hitting his prime. And Avril’s prime is going to be something special to witness.
In his last two seasons with Detroit, he got 9.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles; for his career he has 39.5 half sacks (five years). He has put up some impressive numbers in his time in Detroit and his decision to come to Seattle on a pretty cheap contract is pretty surprising. But you know what? I’m not going to complain.
After all, we don’t know how long Chris Clemons is going to be out with his knee injury and this deal not only adds another pass rusher, it adds depth to a defensive line that had to plug the true rookie (Bruce Irvin) into a playoff game against a stout Falcons’s offensive line; and that’s probably the biggest reason you saw this move get made.
Categories: NFL