While it certainly may seem like Jadeveon Clowney and the Seahawks are not destined to get back together, they both have left the door cracked open for a reunion.

In an interview with FOX26 Houston, Clowney said, “I loved Seattle when I was there this past year. … I hope we can work something out.”

But make no mistake: Clowney is patiently waiting for a better offer and Seattle seems unlikely to pay what he wants.

Clowney confirmed his surprise at still being unsigned and wondered whether people think he is still injured. He said he started working out in Houston two weeks after he had core surgery in February. He said he is “transitioning to the football phase” now and, after seven years in the NFL, knows what he needs to do to get ready.

“I just want to let people know I’m ready,” he said. “I’ll be ready to go when the time comes. Whoever I sign with will get the best version of me.

“I’m working. I’m staying ahead of schedule. I’m going to be ready to go when training camp starts.”

When Seattle cut Justin Britt and D.J. Fluker, it sparked speculation that the Seahawks were planning another run at Clowney. Per John Clayton of 710 ESPN, they might have bumped their offer above $15 million. But a source told ESPN that Seattle no longer has an offer on the table and would in fact offer him less — another sign he likely won’t return.

Clowney is determined to wait for the best offer he can get. “I know what’s going on in the (pandemic-locked) world,” he said. “It’s a slow process until teams can see me and see what I’ve got and can give me physicals and everything. So I ain’t in no rush. I’m just waiting on the right opportunity.”

Before the draft, Schneider and Pete Carroll left the door open for Clowney to return.

“We made an effort to re-sign him,” Schneider said. “The door is not closed, but we couldn’t wait any longer. We had to conduct business, and so he knew that. Everything was real cordial. … He just is going to kind of feel his way through this odd process, and we’ll see where that goes.”

Carroll added, “We’ll see if he comes back around. We don’t know. We’ll find out in time. … We’ll see where he is when he’s ready to make a decision.”

After those comments, the Seahawks drafted two pass rushers, Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson — and both Carroll and Schneider seemed ready to move on from Clowney, if needed.

“We don’t shut the door on anything, really,” Schneider said. “We were in negotiations with his agent for a long time, and at some point you need to move on.”

Schneider also told KJR: “We gave it a run and now we’ve got to keep going.”

Other teams that have expressed interest, per FOX26 and other sources: Baltimore, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Tennessee.

Tennessee GM Jon Robinson has spoken about Clowney several times and has left the door open to a possible deal as well. But nothing apparently will happen until Clowney can show teams he is healthy and collect some better bids.

Based on the pandemic plans and projections for most states, the NFL could allow its teams to reopen facilities by July. And that is when the courtship of Clowney would resume.

We’ll see then whether the Seahawks are still in the bidding — both from their perspective and Clowney’s.