The NFL offseason is now officially underway following the Chiefs beating the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday.

Free agency is a month and a half away as the new league year doesn’t begin until March 18. That means Seahawks fans have to endure at least another six weeks of waiting to find out whether or not Jadeveon Clowney will re-sign in Seattle.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport joined the Talkin’ Seahawks Podcast to discuss the odds that Clowney is back in the Pacific Northwest in 2020.

“He wants to be on a good team with a good culture, where he feels appreciated, which, he certainly was in Seattle and certainly was not in Houston,” Rapoport said.

Clowney made it clear that he wants to join a contender who will give him an immediate chance to compete for a ring. Rapoport said there is some precedence for players leaving money on the table. He said he’s “almost positive” that Za’Darius Smith signed with the Packers last offseason despite Green Bay not being the highest bidder.

Clowney will likely take lucrative offers from what he perceives as “bad teams” and use them as leverage against the “good teams” he sees as more of a fit.

“My guess is, if the money is the same, he’ll pick Seattle because he really appreciated and liked his time there,” Rapoport said.

But will the money be the same? As Rapoport pointed out, the Seahawks aren’t normally a team to “go nuts” in free agency. Seattle opted not to pay Frank Clark last offseason. Why should fans expect anything different to happen with Clowney?

Despite Clowney having just three sacks in 2019, he’s expected to get paid like Clark and Demarcus Lawrence, which means north of $20 million annually. Any discount will only come if being the NFL’s highest paid edge rusher doesn’t matter to Clowney.

“He only had three (sacks), but he was so good,” Rapoport said. “He’s basically a wrecking ball. He’s kind of like Jason Pierre-Paul. He gets some sacks, but he’s just so disruptive. I think he gets paid like he had 20 sacks.”

As he should. Clowney is a true three-down defensive end, and he is arguably better against the run than any other edge rusher.

Clowney will still be just 27 years old at the start of next season. Although there will always be some durability questions about him, Clowney still has the allure of the former No. 1 overall pick who knocked a guy’s helmet off in college.

The reality is that it’s impossible to tell whether or not Clowney will return to Seattle at this point. It would take Seattle breaking tendency in order for that to happen.

“I feel like they really want him back,” Rapoport said. “I feel like he wants to be back. Usually when two sides are on the same page, a deal can get done. I just don’t know how much Seattle is really going to offer.”