Veteran defensive end Chris Clemons has told the Seattle Seahawks he is retiring and will not be reporting to training camp on Friday.
Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network was the first to report that Clemons second tenure with Seattle was over before it really ever got started. The team confirmed Clemons had informed them of his retirement on Thursday night.
Seattle acquired Clemons from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010 along with a fourth-round draft pick in exchange for defensive end Darryl Tapp. Clemons quickly became Seattle’s most dominant pass rusher, recording 33.5 sacks over the next three seasons. Clemons became a salary cap casualty following the Seahawks win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII before signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014.
Clemons had 11 sacks in two seasons with the Jaguars before being released and re-signing with Seattle in April.
Clemons, 34, would have been fighting for a spot on the back-end of Seattle’s roster. Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett and Frank Clark are the top three edge rushers for the Seahawks. Clemons would have been competing with younger players such as Cassius Marsh, Ryan Robinson and undrafted free agent signings David Perkins and Montese Overton.
Instead, Clemons has elected to call it a career. Despite not earning a starting role in the first six years of his career, Clemons still compiled 69 sacks in his 12-year career.
