APThe Lions reportedly offered Cliff Avril a three-year, $30 million contract last year. Avril declined, instead signing the franchise tender, playing last season for $10.5 million, and then testing free agency again this year.
In other words, he bet on himself. And he lost.
According to ESPN, Avril has agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal with the Seahawks. That means Avril will end up making a total of $25.5 million for the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons — after turning down the Lions’ offer to pay him a total of $30 million for the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Players often like to bet on themselves by refusing long-term deals from their original teams and testing unrestricted free agency. In Avril’s case, that turned out to be a miscalculation.
The good news for Avril is that he’ll get to test free agency again in two years, when he’s only 28. But if the Seahawks offer him an extension after one year, he should strongly consider it.
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oh my god we gave mario 100 mill….couldve had avril ellerbe wheeler kruger and more wow
Bad for Avril, good for Seattle.
Maybe money wasn’t the issue this time around. Because it would just be a crazy notion if he wanted to go play on a team that is a sure super bowl contender. And really, $15 million is still a lot of dough.
Silly Cliff
Seattle got a great deal.
Probably would’ve been cut after 2 years in the 3 year contract.
He left an average team in a crappy city for a great team in a nice city. I say he won on that deal.
Avril’s stats during the 2012 season against NFC west teams:
STL – 1 tackle, 1 assist, 1 sack.
49ers- 0 tackles, 0 assists, 0 sacks.
Seattle – 1 tackle, 0 assists, 0 sacks.
Arizona – 1 tackle, 0 assists, 0 sacks.
Have fun in the NFC west. That was with a pretty good interior line and single coverage.
Seahawks look very strong.
So the Seahawks window is open. They’ve got about 3 seasons before they’re going to be in salary cap hell.
Go get ‘em, Seahawks. This is your time.
Sort of, except now he’s playing for Seattle instead of Detroit.
Hahaha this is the best news of the day
He gets to leave Detroit. I call it a push.
Great signing. He will easily get double digit sacks with playing half his games at the Clink and being motivated for another contract. Go Hawks!
Smart deal by John Schneider. Again.
Of course he overvalued himself. He is a one trick pony who benifited from a great DL in Detroit.
Ray Edwards 2.0
15 million, with all due respect here, is not a loss. The loss occurs when he plays Chip Kelly and the Eagles intricate offense.
Clearly playing for a winner was important to Avril.
LOL
I would not call making 25 million dollars losing, just to play football. I can think of many people that have lost more than that in life.
Or maybe he’s looking for a Superbowl?
Not sure about the guy – if you can’t produce more than 9 sacks playing next to Suh and Fairley – then … idk, you should be able to rack up more stats when the opposing QB can never step up in the pocket.
A team that’ll probably make the playoffs isn’t anything but a gain this season, goodluck.
Good Money anyway and on a very good team. He has to be happy. I know I am.
Go Hawks!
Lotta that going around… See the Pats 3 year, 24 mil offer that Welker turned down last year.
Great value for a guy that gets 10 sacks and 6 FF’s a year. Another coup for Schneider and Carroll. Watch the Vegas odds change again, go hawks!
I like Avril but people saying he wanted to play for a winner are just off base. At the time of the Lions offer we were coming off a playoff berth and all signs pointed up. He wanted more money didn’t get more money and no matter how you spin it about the seahawks being better it was about money. The Seahawks paid the most if the Panthers would’ve gave him that Mario Williams deal i’m sorry Lions and Seahakws fans he would be Panther.
—-Of course he overvalued himself. He is a one trick pony who benifited from a great DL in Detroit. —
Solid Dline in Detroit,Great is what Cinci has for a Dline.Just saying <3
Bet on himself and lost money maybe. But he is going from the lions to the seahawks. After the way the hawks finished up the season its not insane to say that he thought he had a chance to play in a superbowl with seahawks rather than in the toilet bowl with the lions.
HA! Good for him! I love the stories the last few years about how so-n-so thought he was the sh!t but now finds that he really wasn’t because no one wants him anymore or how guys hold out and wind up with less than they were offered or thought they could get elsewhere or take the $$$ to go from a contender to, say, Buffalo. I realize that the league isn’t perfect but it’s nice to see the “low guys on the totem pole” put in their place. You’ve got to be an extreme standout in your field to make your own demands and it seems that pretty much all these guys think they are standouts. Go figure…
NOTE: There is NO state income taxe in Washington either, so hat will have him some serious scratch too…
BONUS!
He’s sooooo overrated
The offer was for $30 million of which $20 million was guaranteed. Idiot.
leaving a bad organization and joining a winner for 7.5 mil a year sounds like a win..
harrin42 says:Mar 13, 2013 8:58 PM
Maybe money wasn’t the issue this time around. Because it would just be a crazy notion if he wanted to go play on a team that is a sure super bowl contender. And really, $15 million is still a lot of dough.
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Don’t be naive. it’s always about money.
In his time with the Lions he only had few plays you would call impressive. Lots of running past the QB and looping back for a coverage sack. Still would have loved to have him back in detroit. He can be counted on for 8-10 sacks a year and a few qb strips.
Wow that is a bargain. Reminds me of what Adrian Beltre did with the Red Sox, get your value up by playing with a good team.
tjh9985 says:Mar 13, 2013 8:58 PM
Seattle got a great deal
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Yeah, if Avril brought Suh and Fairley with him. Unfortunately you’ll see what I mean this upcoming season.
Flavordave you have issues,I’m from Oregon and I’ve never seen someone this much on Chip Kelly jock.Seriously eagles lookin like crap wait till they prove something before you start talking smack.
If $15 million is “losing” I’ll be a loser any day. XD
Not so bad. He’ll be winning the NFC Next Year and will play against Denver in the Super Bowl
Correct me if I’m wrong Dave, but didn’t LaMichael James say something earlier in the year about about Chip Kelley’s read-option offense already existing in the NFL? Something tells me the Eagles aren’t going to the league by storm this next season..
i bet he is beating up his agent as we speak, but im sure hes happy to be out of Detroit and that bad lions team, and hes in a “legal” state now
I’d take a pay cut too to get away from Swartz and Detroit.
Do we know what Detroit was going to pay? Why is this a bad deal? Avril goes from a wannabe playoff team to a contender for $7M a year. Not to mention if things don’t work out the Seahawks can cut him next year.
What’s the loss for Seattle? Nothing!
NFC West is looking pretty solid next year.
Avril wasn’t that good anyway. See ya.
It’s worth 5M$ to not have to plaay for the Lions. Now he actually has a chance at winning something.
There is no state income tax in Washington. That probably saves him $1 million a year.
Wait instead of getting 30 million, he’s only
Getting 25 million? That poor man. Hope I can sleep
Tonight…is there some sort of find set up
To help him out????
He’s a 4-3 DE correct and he’s going to a Seattle team that plays a 3-4. Should be interesting.
Wait instead of getting 30 million, he’s only
Getting 25 million? That poor man. Hope I can sleep
Tonight…is there some sort of fund set up
To help him out????
Silly Cliff, you turn down 3 years/30 mil and then take 2 years and 15 mil the following offseason.
My God! He only made $25.5 million vs $30 million??? What a LOSER!!!
He’ll play for a better team for less money pruducing the same (or lower) stats and STILL not get to the Superbowl. love it.
SEATTLE FANS, CALM DOWN, u guys arent SB champs, harvin will miss games cause of migrains, and rice is washed up and nobody can name another wr on yr team, and wilson is decent, but hes not a SB caliber type of QB, only Luck is!!!!
Im praying for the headline tomorrow “percy harvin says seattle is a dream team”
There shall be excuses for the seahawks now It would be interesting to hear who get’s thrown under the bus!! If thier season doesn’t end with super bowl win!! With all the hype surrounding the Seahawks thiers no place to go but down. Just because you have the talent, Doesn’t mean you get the results you want
In other news… San Fran just signed Dwight Freeney… lol.
But seriously, great deal for Seattle. Avril has a better pedigree than Chris Clemmons. Similar players. If Clemmons can get 13+ sacks in Seattle, what will Avril do?
I think Bradford, Kolb and Kaepernick just shuddered.
Lets not forget that he was playing in Detroit. I might want it of there too.
Great pickup Schneider ! If Chris can come back healthy along with Irvin and now Avril, I can see close to 50 sacks for the Hawks next season ! Beat those dammed Niners !
i always laugh at the notion on this site (and many others) that it all comes down to money. or that one thing necessarily means another (like the guy who ran the 4.19….because he didn’t run track, he couldn’t have possibly run that fast). it’s not a single variable universe. maybe he decided that it would take more than 10 milly to stay in detroit if he were going to play for a team with a lot of question marks. and after they weren’t answered this year, he decided he’d rather play in a city he liked and for a team with a 20% chance to win the super bowl…not that the lions are bad but let’s call a spade a spade.
After playing in the clink his next contract at 28 will be lucrative. 12 sacks.
It should be interesting between San Francisco, Seattle, and Atlanta.
Fiscal Cliff Avril
You don’t think he would have ever seen those 30 million. Just saying
Chance to contend on a team in a legal weed city… or Detroit + 5M?
Somehow he’ll just have to suffer through with the paltry 12 mil or so he’ll be left with after taxes and agent’s fees.
I know it will be insanely difficult for him to do so, but no one said life would be easy.
Is it just me, or did all of you Seattle fans forget that those crappy Lions beat you last year. Good luck with that guy who routinely gets blocked by tight ends.
I wish that I had his problems.
What a loser, getting paid 25 million, last and next two years, to work 6 months a year playing a freaking game.
CLEARLY cliff is either too arogant or too stupid to realize that he is a by-product of Suh and Fairley.
He should have taken the 10 mil/year from Detroit and hand a personal check to the DT’s beside him.
lions fan here. cliff avril was ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. he has been saying it for the past year. he has even said he wanted mario williams money. he was expecting to get 12-14 a year! i didnt even want the lions to offer him the 10 they offered last year, w hich im glad he turned out. this guys agent really had him convinced he was gonna get PAID. then free agency s tarts and the phone doesnt even ring. he basically took the first deal that came along, which is proven by the fact he agreed to the deal before even getting on the plane and meeting the new coaches etc. he didnt take a pay cut to play for seattle, he took a paycut becuase nobody was gonna pay him more than that plain and simple.
and the SEA vs SF chess match continues
Well to Seattle cliff. Where the fan base consists of panty wastes that prefer soccer and the wnba over football. .
The town is for nerds and losers.
you seachicken fans drive my nuts. You are the most desperate team in the NFL. Pathetic is the true term. Peetie will mess things up and I believe russell wilson will not produce as he did last year. Keep trying Hahahahahah…stoolerz ewoks up in seattle..
Like weed being illegal stops anyone from smoking weed?
i was station in bremerton washington, a hour from seattle, and that state is gloomy and depressing, no wonder that made “trees” legal there, and theres alot a rhino built women there too
Have fun in Seattle, plug the next guy in next to suh and fairly and see how he does…he will probably put up similar numbers…
firstvictory says:Mar 13, 2013 9:34 PM
i always laugh at the notion on this site (and many others) that it all comes down to money … he decided he’d rather play in a city he liked and for a team with a 20% chance to win the super bowl…not that the lions are bad but let’s call a spade a spade.
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Nah. Avril was looking for the biggest payday and said as much himself. He panicked and signed the first offer. He shouldn’t have listened to his agent in the first place.
Proof that all he cared about is money. Hope you turn out to be a flop. Traitor…
flavordave says:
Mar 13, 2013 9:01 PM
15 million, with all due respect here, is not a loss. The loss occurs when he plays Chip Kelly and the Eagles intricate offense.
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Okay, I’m officially a flavordave fan.
The real question is how will the move to Washington affect his state income taxes?
stoolerz says:
Well to Seattle cliff. Where the fan base consists of panty wastes that prefer soccer and the wnba over football. The town is for nerds and losers.
————————
Well than count me among the most rabid Sue Bird fan base on Earth that found time to support our “other” football team to another undefeated sellout season.
Sincerely,
Panty Waste / Nerd / Loser #12
I wonder why so many teams stayed away from Avril. He was expected to get between $10-$12 Million and be gone on Day 1, to Cleveland or Indy. They must have watched tape on him, and saw something they didn’t like.
Don’t recall hearing his name and we’ve faced the Lions in consecutive years…Plays poor against NFC West Teams. More concerned with Harvin..
Avril 260 lbs. Irvin 248 lbs. They’re good players but their very light and one dimensional. (speed rushers) Neither can cover, but they both can pin their ears back and get after QB. Teams will run on them.
Seattle will never be in “salary cap hell.” We have the richest owner in sports, so all we have to do is convert base salary to signing bonuses for cap relief. Few teams can afford to do that. We can.
Thought I was reading the comics for a sec, but a closer look proved it WAS the avril post. One dude said harvin was gonna have a migraine cuz he hasn’t had one in over two years. Another posted his stats against nfc west teams, but forgot to mention the combined 9 forced qb hurries along with 5 batted/tipped passes. Nice try there……then there are the droves of free thinkers who credit only suh and fairley with cliff’s success. I could see your point last year with suh a little, maybe. But want nick hurt for a gods portion of the time they played together? If any other team traded for percy and signed cliff, they would be go getters and trying to win. But seattle does it, and the haters come from all directions trying to conjure up reasons it’ll fail. Seattle us gonna play in and win the super bowl over the favorite broncos. So, you all keep hating and doubting, we prefer it that way anyway
I like this move by the Seahawks cause those three DE’s r gonna dominate teams cause it will be harder for teams to prepare for cause how dynamic Clemons, Avril and Irvin are it’s a major upgrade for the Seahawks cause they got a big time play maker in Percy harvin and a very good pass rusher in cliff Avril don’t be surprised if u see the Seahawks in the run for the championship in 2013!
See ya Cliff. Business is business, and every player has the right to negotiate the best offer they can get because they could get a career ending injury tomorrow, but he was all about the money. Detroit made him a fair offer (and too much money IMO) last year and he turned it down to make less money on a shorter contract.
Time will tell what kind of numbers he puts up in Seattle, but he is NOT a Mario Williams, Jared Allen, Julius Peppers, or Damarcus Ware caliber DE and he didn’t deserve to be paid like one. On a team with an average to mediocre D Line he’s a 6-7 sack player.
Good bye San Franciso.
Teams last season had no success in running the ball against them except for Adrian Peterson but he’s not human!! Lol so why would it be any different in the 2013 season?!!!
Because Clemons your best run defender and DL is coming off a major injury and you lose a DE with decent size and replace him with a guy who weighs 260. That’s why the Seahawks will not be as good against the run as the were last year. lol
Much props the 9ner fans in this thread, good luck this season
Who cares?? Seahawks sign another overrated player. Whats new?
“Clearly playing for a winner was important to Avril.”—
No, playing for the only team that offered him a contract before the free agent money started drying up, was important to Avril.
I’d like to point this fact out. Remember when Chris Clemons was acquired from the Eagles and had done virtually nothing prior to coming to the Seahawks? When he came here, he produced double digit sacks in 3 seasons thus far.
What I’m saying is that Cliff Avril could end up the same way. Of course, Avril is more proven than Clemons coming into Seattle but maybe Avril will benefit more by playing in Seattle’s system like Clemons did.
Time will tell.
Hawks haters, spend time looking who we have traded for, and how much better they are now, and also the no names and late round picks that are now all pro’s and cornerstones. Keep hating and making stuff up though, it’s super entertaining.
Seattle>than where you live