Once the Denver Broncos signed left tackle Russell Okung to a massive five-year, $53 million contract on Thursday, it became readily apparent that former Pro Bowler Ryan Clady wouldn’t be back with the team.
Clady, 29, missed the entire 2015 season after tearing his ACL in May. This came on the heels of the former first-round pick putting up four Pro Bowl and two First-Team All-Pro performances in his first seven seasons with the Broncos.
Needless to say, there was bound to be some interest in Clady’s services once he was placed on the trade block.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, that’s exactly what has transpired:
Told by a source there are 4-5 teams considering a trade for Ryan Clady.
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) March 18, 2016
Clady, solely a left tackle throughout his career, could conceivably move to the right side if a team were willing to pay $10.1 million for a starter at that position next season — a number that isn’t ridiculously high considering today’s market.
It goes without saying that the Seattle Seahawks would be interested in adding Clady. They lost to the aforementioned Russell Okung to these very same Broncos on Thursday and are also without starting guard J.R. Sweezy who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this month.
Losing two of its best offensive linemen along a line that was among the worst in the NFL is a less-than-ideal scenario for Seattle. Equally as important, the team simply doesn’t have a franchise left tackle to protect Russell Wilson.
The primary issue here is that Seattle finds itself just $8.3 million under the cap, meaning it would have to do some major cap work before potentially acquiring Okung.
Among the teams with the cash to actually spend on the injury-plagued left tackle, the San Francisco 49ers could very well block any deal to Seattle.
They boast a ridiculous $60 million in cap room, have the draft pick assets to trade to Denver and are in need of offensive line help.
Pure conjecture here, but San Francisco and Denver are already engaged in trade talks regarding Colin Kaepernick. Could Clady’s name emerge in said talks with the veteran now on his way out of town?