There is no denying former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril has become one of the most dependable mentors around, but could he eventually take on a permanent coaching role with his former teams?
Avril joined Dave Wyman and Bob Stelton on Seattle Sports radio’s “Wyman & Bob” show and was asked just that.
“I would love to. For sure,” Avril said. “I would love to be a part of the organization. And my whole thing is, honestly, on the coaching side, being on the field would be great. I work with a lot of the young guys already, I work with the D-linemen already anyways. But I think it’s more along the lines of just having some veteran players that know what it looks like to be a pro.”
Avril spent five seasons with the Seahawks before officially retiring from the NFL in 2018 after he sustained a neck injury the prior season. He has remained a figure in Seattle sports ever since, including working as a part of the media as an on-air host for Sports Radio KJR.
"When those guys asked me to come out, I realized how much I actually liked teaching some of the things that I’ve learned through the years."@cliffavril discussed mentoring younger players, intense UNO games with @KJ_WRIGHT34, and more on @WymanAndBob. ⤵️#GoHawks x @Delta
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 16, 2022
“Sometimes coaches — and I’m not putting this on the Seahawks, I’m just saying in general in the NFL — sometimes when you look at the young player, he’s cheaper, all these different things,” Avril continued. “But if he doesn’t have a leader to help him understand what he’s getting himself into, his career ends up being shorter than it needs to be. So having some leadership, guys that have been in the locker room, guys that have been in the trenches that have seen the same plays that they’re seeing.
“I think there’s just a different level of respect that’ll come with that.”
You can listen to the complete interview with Avril here.
