Following a brief illness, John Clayton, a longtime Seattle Seahawks, and NFL insider died on Friday at a Seattle-area hospital. He was just 67 years old when he died.

On March 18, 2022, Clayton’s close friend Jeff Muzzy made an emotional announcement on Twitter.

“I’m sending a notification of personal friend and hall of fame broadcaster John Clayton passing today at 3 pm,” the message stated.

The platform was quickly inundated with condolences to the “beloved” journalist, who passed away at the age of 67 following a brief illness. The cause of his death is still unknown.

In a long statement released to Twitter, the Seattle Seahawks expressed their “heartbreak” upon learning of Clayton’s passing.

 

Who was John Clayton?

John Clayton was an ESPN writer and former NFL reporter.

Clayton started his professional career as a beat reporter for the Tacoma News Tribune, covering the Pittsburgh Steelers before heading across the nation to cover the Seattle Seahawks from 1986 to 1998.

He began working for ESPN in 1995 and spent more than 20 years as one of the network’s top NFL analysts.

Clayton joined the Seattle Seahawks radio broadcasts as a sideline reporter after his national tenure with ESPN ended in 2017, a role he held until his death.

Clayton was also a regular on Seattle sports radio, hosting The John Clayton Weekends on Saturdays for 950 KJR and, most recently, 710 ESPN Seattle.

Clayton was a legend in the sports journalism field as well as a Seattle sports radio legend.