USC football in the NFL: Pete Carroll looking for double Trojan reunion

Former USC football head coach Pete Carroll could add two Trojans to his Seahawks roster in free agency.

Is a USC football reunion imminent in Seattle?

It sure looks that way thanks to a report from Sports Illustrated’s Michael Silver on Thursday.

Apparently, Pete Carroll’s Seattle Seahawks are close to signing former Trojans Clay Matthews and Everson Griffen, who both played under the head coach at USC.

USC football fans could have extra reasons to root for the Seahawks.

“While the Seahawks appear to have moved on from Jadeveon Clowney, who wants more than they’re willing to pay, the team has interest in two veteran free agent pass rushers: LB Clay Matthews and DE Everson Griffen. A deal could happen soon,” Silver tweeted.

The Seahawks are looking for pass rushers to replace Jadeveon Clowney, who rejected a deal from the team earlier this year, according to Silver.

Matthews and Griffen have been two of USC’s more productive players in the NFL over the last decade.

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The Packers drafted Matthews in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He spent 10 years with the team, going to six Pro Bowls and picking up First-Team All-Pro honors in 2010. He posted 121 tackles for loss and 83.5 sacks in that span.

The outside linebacker left in free agency and landed with the LA Rams. There he logged nine tackles for loss and eight sacks in his lone season before he was cut earlier this year.

Griffen was a fourth-round draft pick of the Vikings in 2010 and just wrapped up a 10-year stint in Minnesota. He made four Pro Bowl appearances and racked up 86 tackles for loss and 74.5 sacks for the team.

Unfortunately, Griffen had mental health concerns derail one of the most promising points of his career.

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On a positive note, he returned to Pro Bowl form in 2019 before entering the free-agent market.

The two former Trojans were rivals for much of their careers with Green Bay and Minnesota. They’re now on the cusp of being teammates once more.

If Matthews and Griffen do sign with the Seahawks, they would join some younger former Trojans on the roster. Rasheem Green was a third-round draft pick by the team in 2018 while Jordan Simmons has held onto a spot since then as well. They picked up offensive tackle Chad Wheeler at the start of 2020.