You might not think there’s a link between Jadeveon Clowney and the Wizard of Westwood … unless you’re Pete Carroll. Then you surely will.

Clowney joined the Seahawks in a blockbuster trade last weekend and pointed to the franchise’s culture as a key factor that influenced his exercise in how an NFL star can flex the power of leverage.

“Relationships,” is how Clowney put it when asked what drew him to Seattle. He said conversations with Seahawks left tackle Duane Brown, previously a teammate in Houston, convinced him he’d fit in.

Yes, culture still matters in the NFL. With Carroll heading into his 10th season in the Pacific Northwest, the Seahawks have one of the most established – and open-minded -– workplace environments in the league. For stability, it ranks in a category that includes the Patriots, Steelers, Saints and Ravens.

Carroll, the NFL’s oldest head coach, has long insisted that the culture traces back to the philosophy of the legendary John Wooden, who won 10 NCAA basketball titles in a 12-year span at UCLA.

“I asked John Wooden one time, ‘How did you change your culture?’ “ Carroll reflected recently for USA TODAY Sports. “He made me feel like a little kid. He said, ‘You don’t change the culture. The players change.’ This is a gleaming example of what that’s all about.”

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Of course, Earl Thomas undoubtedly has a different opinion. As he was carted off the field in Arizona last fall with a broken leg that marked his final game with the Seahawks, the all-pro safety saluted Carroll and the Seahawks’ bench with an obscene gesture as a parting shot. And now Thomas is a Raven.

My, how the Seahawks’ identity has changed. In previous years, I loved running into bombastic personalities like Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett during the Legion of Boom era. But Sherman, Bennett, Thomas, Doug Baldwin and Marshawn Lynch are all long gone now, cycled through the typical NFL ringer. The challenge for Carroll and Co. is to maintain the culture and high standards.

With Russell Wilson as everything you’d want from the face of a franchise – upbeat, sharp, polished, competitive and prolific – the Seahawks have managed to do just that.

They still have “Competition Wednesday” and “Turnover Thursday” to spice the practice routine.

“The culture here has always been a fun, competitive culture,” linebacker K.J. Wright, the longest-tenured Seahawks player, told USA TODAY Sports heading into his ninth season. “The team has definitely shifted and evolved over the years. When I first got here, Marshawn was the guy. Then the young guys on defense started finding their identity and we became the best in the league for a few years. Then the tide shifted. Russell grew up, became a prolific quarterback.

“We don’t have those big, loud personalities anymore, but it is what it is. The leaders on the team now – myself, Bobby (Wagner), Duane (Brown) – are more reserved but when we speak we’re definitely heard among the guys.”

Brown surely had a difference in selling the Seahawks on the enormously talented Clowney. While Clowney, who entered the league in 2014 as the No. 1 pick overall, is positioned ultimately to sign a hefty multi-year deal, in Seattle or elsewhere, the decision to force a trade to the Seahawks didn’t hinge on seeking the best immediate financial package given that the deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign long-term contracts passed in July. The ability to assess the team’s culture was a factor, as were the chance to join a contender and opportunity to play his more natural rush end position in a 4-3 scheme after all of the outside linebacker duty in a 3-4 system with the Texans.

“Talked to Duane Brown and he said he loved it up here,” Clowney added. “Great quarterback. Great system. Just wanted to be part of this organization.”

Clowney, who had final say over his destination due to his refusal to sign a franchise tender, rebuffed the possibility of a trade to the Dolphins, a franchise trying to establish its own new culture under first-year coach Brian Flores. The Eagles were a possibility, too.

“Me and my girl sat down and thought about it like, ‘Would you want to go somewhere else?’“ Clowney told reporters upon his arrival in Seattle. “This might be the greatest situation for me.”

Surely, it helps that Carroll wants no part of an authoritarian, one-size-fits-all dynamic. Never mind that he’ll turn 68 on Sept. 15. He is hardly set in his ways, with a track record for adapting to his players.

“They acclimate to us, but we acclimate to them, too,” Carroll said. “This is a relationship-based place here. We’re open. We work with them. The players bring their element to the environment. The (Legion of) Boom thing came out of the wonderful individuals and they spirit they generated. I don’t know what it will be this time, but this team has a mentality.”

And suddenly, it has another star bringing a significant new dimension to the culture.

Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.

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