Jadeveon Clowney - Pro Football Rumors

Poll: Where Will Jadeveon Clowney Sign?

April 6th, 2020 at 11:39am CST by Zachary Links

It’s April and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is still without an NFL team. The former No. 1 overall pick isn’t coming off of a banner year, but he plays a premium position and has 32 career sacks to his credit. So, what gives?

Of course, his price tag is his biggest blocker. Clowney came into the offseason seeking a deal worth $20MM per year. Recently, he backed down from that position, though the incumbent Seahawks are believed to be offering between $13-$15MM per annum, which is still probably less than he’s willing to accept.

A reunion still seems possible, but Clowney’s camp is working to find a better deal in the interim. Late last week, the Browns entered the sweepstakes and some league officials believe that they have the strongest interest of any suitor. The Browns have tons of cap room – about $43MM – and they might be willing to use some of it to swap Olivier Vernon for Clowney. Of course, that might be easier said than done, since the Browns would still have to find a team willing to take on the rest of Vernon’s contract, which is set to pay him $15.25MM.

The Jets could use Clowney’s edge rushing ability, but they’ve been taking a conservative approach to free agency after whiffing on their preferred targets in March. The Titans have also been linked to him, thanks to Clowney’s relationship with head coach Mike Vrabel from their Houston days, but they’re less inclined to spend on the pass rush after committing $9MM to outside linebacker Vic Beasley.

Other teams have been connected to Clowney, like the Giants, Colts, and Dolphins, though their pass rush needs have already been addressed. The Eagles remain an interesting landing spot for him from a football perspective, and they have breathing room to work with for right now, but their 2021 situation could complicate things. In theory, Philly could still land Clowney if he is willing to accept a one-year deal. The Ravens – with less than $11MM in cap space for the current year – seem less likely to sign him. For the sake of casting a wide net, we’ll include all of those teams in our poll.

Where do you think Clowney will sign? Cast your vote in the poll below (link for app users) and back up your pick in the comments.

Browns Interested In Jadeveon Clowney

April 4th, 2020 at 2:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns have entered the enduring Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes. Not only is Cleveland now involved in the Clowney pursuit, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports some around the league believe the Browns have come closer to a Clowney deal than other suitors thus far (Twitter link).

The Seahawks have been the team most closely connected to Clowney this offseason. While Seattle has tried to make a viable offer to keep the three-time Pro Bowler, Fowler adds that the team’s offer has not satisfied the Clowney camp to this point.

A Clowney-Browns scenario would be interesting given the team’s defensive end depth. The Browns already employ Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon. A Clowney deal would point to Vernon being on the outs.

In late February, Vernon was linked to being a candidate for a pay cut or release. In the final year of his Giants-constructed contract, the veteran defensive end is set to earn $15.25MM. The Browns are not expected to pay him this much, but the former Dolphins and Giants pass rusher remains on the roster. The Browns have shopped Vernon, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal adds, but any deal would likely be contingent on Cleveland picking up some of his salary.

This week, both the Jets and Titans re-emerged as Clowney suitors. The former No. 1 overall pick also dropped his price off the $20MM-per-year mark. However, the Seahawks’ proposal likely lands between $13-$15MM per year.

Cleveland’s $43MM-plus in cap space leads the NFL by a wide margin. Seattle currently holds less than $15MM in cap room.

Latest On Jadeveon Clowney

April 3rd, 2020 at 6:29pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Jadeveon Clowney is surprisingly still on the market this late in the process, and he’s one of the most interesting situations left to monitor. A couple of days ago we heard that Clowney had lowered his asking price from around $20MM a year to $17-18MM annually after not receiving the offers he was hoping for.

Now we’ve got a new batch of notes on his status, courtesy of John Clayton of ESPN 710 Seattle. Clayton writes that the Seahawks are taking a wait and see approach with Clowney and are being patient. He thinks Seattle might be willing to only pay between $13-15MM for him, which would be a steep discount. New York has been talked about as an interested team, but Clayton writes to “scratch the thoughts on the Jets.”

Clayton writes the Jets’ discussions consisted of only one phone call to his agent and that they haven’t made him an offer, so it sounds like their interest has possibly been a bit overstated. Clayton acknowledges that the Titans are interested, but thinks it might be hard for Tennessee to fit him into their cap after they already gave fellow outside linebacker Vic Beasley a $9MM contract.

Of course Titans head coach Mike Vrabel coached Clowney during their time in Houston, so maybe he’ll be extra motivated to make it work. Clayton opines that had Clowney lowered his demands in the first couple of days of free agency, he would’ve had a deal. The Seahawks by all accounts want to bring him back, and it sounds like they might end up getting a great deal if Clowney’s leverage continues to decrease. We’ve also heard the next best free agent rusher Everson Griffen is interested in joining the Seahawks, so that could be their backup plan if Clowney heads elsewhere.

Jadeveon Clowney Lowers Asking Price

April 1st, 2020 at 5:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Week 3 of free agency begins, Jadeveon Clowney remains available. And in an acknowledgement his market has not shaped up the way he anticipated, the former No. 1 overall pick is lowering his asking price.

Clowney no longer seeks $20MM per year; he would accept a deal closer to $17-$18MM AAV, Diana Russini of ESPN.com tweets.

The three-time Pro Bowler has dealt with knee problems at multiple junctures of his career, including microfracture surgery in 2014, and underwent core-muscle surgery after dealing with a midsection issue for much of his Seahawks season. Teams being unable to host Clowney on visits or have their medical staffs examine him in this unusual offseason may well be playing into this delay.

The 27-year-old edge defender has been most closely connected to the Seahawks, and Russini adds they remain interested. But 11 days after a report indicated the sides were close on a deal, he remains in free agency. The Jets have engaged in discussions with Clowney, per GM Joe Douglas. The Titans did as well, and Russini notes they are still interested in adding Clowney. Tennessee previously added ex-Atlanta defensive end Vic Beasley, and he would be in line to start opposite Harold Landry. Seattle features a bigger need on the edge and is still waiting on Clowney, to the point it may be interfering in a potential deal with Everson Griffen.

While the Colts, Cowboys and Giants have been connected to Clowney as well, nothing has emerged on those fronts in many days. Despite a need for a defensive end opposite DeMarcus Lawrence, the Cowboys are not expected to pursue Clowney. This makes sense given Lawrence’s $20MM-per-year salary. The Giants have not made much headway regarding their need at edge rusher, signing Kyler Fackrell. Clowney was believed to be interested in joining the Giants, but the team is not chasing a high-priced pass rusher.

Jadeveon Clowney On Titans’ Radar

April 1st, 2020 at 2:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

The highest-profile non-quarterback free agent left on the market, Jadeveon Clowney remains in a holding pattern of sorts. The impact edge defender has been connected most closely to the Seahawks since becoming a free agent, but one of his original suitors engaged in discussions with him.

Linked to being prepared to make a strong offer for Clowney at free agency’s outset, the Titans have communicated with the former No. 1 overall pick, GM Jon Robinson confirmed Wednesday.

“We have touched based with Clowney’s representation,” Robinson said. “… Just trying to navigate and work through where that one might be.”

Clowney has gone from being a candidate to approach the Khalil Mack/$23MM-per-year pay range to hoping for $20MM annually — even on a one-year deal — to being favored to return to Seattle. But 11 days after a report indicated Clowney and the Seahawks were nearing a deal, he remains a free agent.

The Titans quickly added former Falcons first-rounder Vic Beasley, and the five-year veteran stands to team with Harold Landry on the edge in Tennessee. Clowney has been more consistent than Beasley, the latter’s 2016 All-Pro nod notwithstanding, but this coronavirus-altered offseason has likely affected his stock. Clowney has dealt with injuries for much of his career, though he is believed to be healthy now.

The former South Carolina phenom may now have better fits outside of Tennessee. Mike Vrabel, however, coached Clowney for four seasons in Houston. So, the Titans probably should not be discounted in this unusually paced race. Even with Derrick Henry‘s $10.3MM franchise tag factored into the equation, the Titans do still have more than $23MM in cap space.

Everson Griffen Interested In Seahawks Deal

March 31st, 2020 at 2:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Seahawks’ top priority at defensive end still appears to be working out a deal to retain Jadeveon Clowney, they may have a backup plan.

Everson Griffen is interested in joining the Seahawks, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. The Seahawks’ level of interest appears to be contingent on how Clowney proceeds, Tomasson adds.

Clowney remains unsigned, but after his market did not produce what was expected, the former No. 1 overall pick has been most closely connected to the Seahawks in his first free agency foray. Meanwhile, the Vikings will not re-sign Griffen. They were previously linked to be set to work out a new deal with the free agent edge defender.

The Seahawks re-signed defensive tackle Jarran Reed and brought back Bruce Irvin. Even though Seattle also drafted L.J. Collier in the 2019 first round, the team still has a need at defensive end. Griffen, 32, rebounded last season to post eight sacks and venture to his fourth Pro Bowl.

Griffen is eyeing a deal in the $8-$10MM/year range. Clowney is aiming for one closer to $20MM. The elder defender would certainly be a more cost-effective alternative and one with a more reliable history at sacking quarterbacks. A 10-year veteran, Griffen has 74.5 career sacks. Since Clowney came into the league in 2014, Griffen has 55 sacks. Clowney has 32 career sacks. While the latter is nearly six years younger and obviously has a longer career left, that is a notable disparity between the edge-rushing talents.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Gordon, Lawson

March 23rd, 2020 at 12:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Devoting significant resources to retooling their offensive line, the Jets have not address their edge defender situation. Jordan Jenkins remains a free agent, but the team has not made a strong effort to re-sign their sack leader of the past two years, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY notes. As far as the bigger names out there, the Jets are still not prepared to pay up for Jadeveon Clowney and do not have Yannick Ngakoue on the front burner, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. The Jets have explored an Ngakoue tag-and-trade move but are not planning to pursue the disgruntled Jaguars defensive end, Cimini adds. Gang Green will need to make multiple moves outside, however. Tarell Basham resides as the top edge rusher on the Jets roster; he registered two sacks last season.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

The Bills may or may not have expressed interest in Melvin Gordon. While 9News’ Mike Klis tweets that the Bills submitted an offer better than the Broncos’ two-year, $16MM proposal, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter indicated Buffalo did not do so (Twitter link). Regardless of whether an offer emerged, Schefter adds (via Twitter) Gordon’s agent did contact the Bills about a deal. The Bills are all set to go with Devin Singletary again; Frank Gore is a free agent.
George Fant‘s three-year, $27.3MM Jets deal essentially doubles as a one-year, $9.25MM investment, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes. If the veteran tackle is still on the Jets’ roster by Day 5 of the 2021 league year, $4.45MM of his $8MM 2021 base salary becomes guaranteed, per OverTheCap. This still represents a nice deal for Fant, whom Mehta adds was only targeting $6MM per year before the Jets swooped in with their offer.
Shaq Lawson signed a three-year, $30MM Dolphins deal. While many teams prefer to backload free agency contracts, the Dolphins set Lawson’s up so he has a $10.3MM 2020 cap number, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. Miami did this in order to lessen Lawson’s 2021 and ’22 cap hits, which OverTheCap lists as $9.3MM (’21) and $10.3MM (’22) figures.

Seahawks, Jadeveon Clowney “Moving Toward a New Deal”

March 21st, 2020 at 12:02pm CST by Ben Levine

Jadeveon Clowney may end up back in Seattle after all. ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio is hearing that the two sides are “moving toward a new deal” (Twitter link).

The pass rusher was initially seeking $20MM per season, and he was reportedly disappointed at the lack of suitors. The 27-year-old has since changed his asking price to a more palatable one- or two-year deal, and he’s presumably had to lower his financial demands, as well.

The Seahawks have continually been linked to the pass-rusher, and there were whispers that the organization had extended a contract offer. That deal didn’t match Clowney’s requirements for salary or length, and the player was seeking another suitor with the hope of driving up the price.

We later learned that the Cowboys were one of the teams that wouldn’t be pursuing the defensive end. Earlier this month, the Giants and Colts were both said to have interest in Clowney, but they’ve since addressed their needs.

Clowney posted just three sacks in 2019, but he was still effective against opposing passers and running backs. For his work, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 20th best edge defender in the NFL.

Cowboys Won’t Sign Everson Griffen, Jadeveon Clowney

March 20th, 2020 at 2:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys are in need of help on the edge after losing Robert Quinn in free agency. However, they’re unlikely to pursue two of the biggest names left: Everson Griffen and Jadeveon Clowney, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com and Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star Telegram (Twitter links).

Griffen, we learned, won’t be back in Minnesota either. On Friday, his agent released a statement to share that the Vikings will not be re-signing him. On paper, he’d be a logical fit for the Cowboys – Griffen has a solid track record of generating pressure and he’s coming off of a strong comeback year. In 2019, the veteran notched eight sacks en route to his fourth career Pro Bowl nomination.

Clowney, meanwhile, is having trouble generating interest. Injuries are likely a factor, but the asking price is a bigger issue. At one point, we heard that the Seahawks free agent is seeking ~$20MM per season. Despite his pedigree as a former No. 1 overall pick and the ever-ballooning market for defensive ends, that’s probably an unrealistic ask.

The Cowboys – who still have multiple needs to address and limited room to fill them – appear poised to take a less splashy route as they look to replace Quinn.

Latest On Jadeveon Clowney’s Market

March 19th, 2020 at 9:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While most of the the NFL’s top free agents have already come off the board, one still resides on the open market. Jadeveon Clowney, viewed as arguably the best available, non-franchise-tagged edge defender, still hasn’t found a new club, and reports of interest around the league have been few and far between.

Clowney had been (and still may be) seeking a $20MM annual salary, but it’s unclear if any club is willing to meet that asking price. The 27-year-old is now reportedly open to a one- or two-year pact, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported Wednesday, adding that many around the NFL now believe Clowney will re-sign with the Seahawks.

Speaking on NFL Network earlier today, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero indicated Clowney does have an offer on the table from Seattle, but it doesn’t meet the pass-rusher’s requirements for salary or length. Clowney, meanwhile, is reportedly hoping that rival clubs will express interest and pressure the Seahawks into raising their offer.

Seattle is likely proposing something in the range of $17-19MM per year, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, who adds Clowney’s health issues are likely a factor in his weak market. While Clowney’s January core muscle surgery typically wouldn’t be viewed as much of a barrier to a deal, COVID-19 restrictions currently prevent him from taking a proper physical.