Jadeveon Clowney

Panthers Sign OLB Jadeveon Clowney

March 27th, 2024 at 10:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

After five seasons on one-year agreements, Jadeveon Clowney will land a deal that covers more than one season. The Panthers will provide it, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

Carolina is giving Clowney a two-year deal worth $20MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The contract can max out at $24MM. The Panthers have announced the signing, one that will send Clowney back to the region where he grew up. The Rock Hill, South Carolina, native — who became a No. 1 overall pick after a standout career with the Gamecocks — will be tasked with helping a Panthers team that is starting over at edge rusher.

The Jets and Ravens were in on Clowney as well, but the Panthers may well have edged the AFC squads out with a better offer. Clowney will collect a far better deal compared to his 2023 Ravens pact — a one-year, $2.5MM agreement that came to pass during training camp — and has scored his first multiyear agreement since his Texans rookie contract back in 2014.

Panthers GM Dan Morgan said this week the Panthers had not given up on Clowney, despite a report of aggressive Jets interest. The 31-year-old edge defender will join D.J. Wonnum and K’Lavon Chaisson as Carolina free agency pickups in the wake of the Brian Burns trade. While none of these players is a Burns-level pass rusher, Clowney is coming off a 9.5-sack season — more than Burns totaled in 2023 — and has been productive for multiple teams.

Although Clowney is not a lock to play for the Panthers beyond 2024, this agreement will end his string of one-year accords that stretches back to his 2019 franchise tag season. The Texans tagged Clowney but traded him to the Seahawks, with the trade terms preventing Seattle from tagging the former South Carolina phenom a second time. That did not turn out to be an issue, as Clowney has never checked in as a high-level pass rusher. He then signed a one-year deal with the Titans, two one-year pacts with the Browns and landed with the Ravens on a low-cost accord just before last season.

Not exactly a consistent pass rusher, Clowney has offered plus run defense at points and has been a player capable of providing pressure inside. In addition to coming off a career-high sack total, Clowney posted 19 QB hits and forced two fumbles to help the Ravens lead the NFL in scoring defense. The Ravens were interested in keeping the 6-foot-5 defender, with Clowney’s wife (via CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson) confirming he had spoken with the AFC North team about another deal. Baltimore was probably not as interested at that price. Baltimore is still interested in re-signing Kyle Van Noy, who nearly matched Clowney by reaching nine sacks despite joining the team in late September.

Clowney has battled injuries, with knee trouble a particular issue in Houston. He missed eight games for the Titans, completing a sackless season, and clashed with Browns coaches during his second Cleveland season — a two-sack campaign. Opposite Myles Garrett in 2021, however, Clowney reached nine sacks. Despite Clowney’s low sack total in 2022, Pro Football Focus graded him 27th among edge rushers — ahead of an 18th-place assessment last season. PFF ranked Clowney as a top-20 run defender in 2023 as well. While Clowney’s three Pro Bowl nods all came during his Texans tenure, he has remained a productive performer into his early 30s.

Two of the three edges that trekked to Charlotte on a visit early in free agency have signed. Chase Young did not, opting for a Saints deal amid neck concerns, but Clowney and Wonnum will be key parts of Ejiro Evero‘s defense in 2024. Burns anchored Carolina’s edge rush for five seasons, with Yetur Gross-Matos — who landed a 49ers deal early in free agency — providing inconsistent supplemental work. Hybrid pass rusher Frankie Luvu also left, joining the Commanders.

The Panthers probably are not done staffing their edge positions, with a draft choice seemingly prudent considering the free agency-heavy makeup at the position. But Clowney gives the team a versatile piece to deploy as it attempts to recover from last season’s 2-15 debacle.

Ravens Rumors: OLBs, Mitchell, Dobbins

March 26th, 2024 at 9:57pm CST by Ely Allen

The Ravens defense saw a number of surprise contributors in 2023. From backup safety Geno Stone leading the AFC in interceptions to Justin Madubuike, Jadeveon Clowney, and Kyle Van Noy exploding to help the team lead the NFL in sacks, Baltimore excelled thanks to contributions from players other than All-Pros like Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton, and Patrick Queen.

All four of the surprise contributors mentioned above had expiring contracts when the Ravens fell short of their Super Bowl aspirations. Madubuike received the franchise tag before ultimately signing a massive four-year, $98MM extension after his 13.0 sack-season. Stone earned a nice deal of his own, branching out to the division-rival Bengals as he searched for an opportunity to start full-time, instead of sharing the stage with Hamilton and Marcus Williams.

Clowney and Van Noy, on the other hand, remain free agents on the open market. Clowney saw a bounce-back season following a disappointing exit from Cleveland. Despite joining the roster in the middle of the preseason, Clowney would start 15 games for the Ravens, matching his career-high in sacks (9.5) while tallying nine tackles for loss, 19 quarterback hits, five passes defensed, and two forced fumbles. Despite early reports that both sides were interested in a new deal, the Panthers and Jets have swept in as teams with massive interest in signing Clowney.

Van Noy exploded for the rare career-year at 32 years old. Despite only starting three games as a rotation player, Van Noy finished third on the team with a career-high nine sacks. Van Noy hasn’t been nearly as active in free agency visits, but his stellar 2023 season all but ensures that he will earn at least one more NFL contract.

Head coach John Harbaugh recently claimed to be optimistic about the prospects of bringing one or both of Clowney and/or Van Noy back in 2024, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. If they aren’t able to do so, though, the Ravens continue to have faith in former first-round pick Odafe Oweh and former second-round pick David Ojabo. According to Harbaugh, Ojabo, who has only appeared in five games over his first two seasons, is healthy. The long-time head coach predicted a breakout season for the 23-year-old in 2024.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of Baltimore, where our thoughts and condolences are after the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge:

The Ravens certainly lost a massive offensive chess piece when J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury in Baltimore’s season opener. Their losses compounded late in the season when, in the midst of a run towards the No. 1 seed in the AFC, Keaton Mitchell, an explosive undrafted rookie who was helping to replace Dobbins’ lost production, suffered an ACL tear in Week 15. General manager Eric DeCosta spoke on his recovery recently, saying that the team feels Mitchell is on track “to come back this season,” per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
Speaking of Dobbins, though he’s not currently a Raven after the team allowed his rookie contract to expire, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network informs us that the 25-year-old rusher has been cleared for football activities. His surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, said in a letter to select teams today that Dobbins looks “outstanding” coming off his torn Achilles. Dobbins is expected to begin taking visits soon, though the Ravens have not been mentioned much as a candidate to land his continued services.

Panthers Still Pursuing Jadeveon Clowney

March 25th, 2024 at 3:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers have made multiple additions at outside linebacker, but given what the team lost, more help will be needed ahead of Week 1. One such pursuit is ongoing, despite some notable interest from another team.

Carolina is still in on the Jadeveon Clowney market, with GM Dan Morgan indicating Monday (via The Athletic’s Joe Person) the team is staying in touch with the former No. 1 overall pick’s camp. The Panthers hosted Clowney on a visit early in free agency, but as of late, the Jets have been the team most closely connected to the veteran edge rusher.

A recent report indicated the Jets are “highly motivated” to land Clowney, with the sides being in constant contact since a recent meeting took place. The Panthers met with the South Carolina native first, doing so on the same day they hosted Chase Young and D.J. Wonnum. Young signed with the Saints, with a neck issue affecting his market; no team cleared Young on a physical this offseason. Wonnum did commit to Carolina, which also took a flier on former Jacksonville first-rounder K’Lavon Chaisson. But these two would not form a starter-caliber edge duo, keeping the Panthers in the market for an upgrade.

The Panthers, of course, traded Brian Burns to the Giants for a 2024 second-round pick, a 2024 fifth-rounder and a swap of 2025 fifths. This brought an underwhelming conclusion — from the Panthers’ end, at least — to a saga that famously included a Rams offer of two first-rounders and a third back in 2022. Former starter Yetur Gross-Matos, who could not quite justify the Panthers’ second-round investment, also signed a two-year, $18MM deal with the 49ers.

Clowney, 31, has a history of taking his time in free agency. A lucrative extension or free agency agreement never materialized for the one-time mega-prospect; instead, he has made quite a bit of money hopping around the league on one-year deals. If Clowney lands another one-year pact, it would be his fifth. He also played the 2019 season — with the Seahawks — on the franchise tag. Clowney waited until September 2020 to join the Titans while agreeing to his two Browns contracts in April 2021 and May 2022. He did not join the Ravens last year until August, forming a duo of late-summer OLB acquisitions with Kyle Van Noy.

Both Clowney and Van Noy were productive in Baltimore, which will likely lead to a better 2024 deal compared to his 2023 payment ($2.5MM). Clowney matched his career high with 9.5 sacks. Carolina totaled just 27 as a team; Burns was responsible for eight of those. The Panthers will likely look to the draft as well here, though they do not have a first-round pick, but Clowney would represent a nice stopgap solution for Ejiro Evero this season.

Jets “Highly Motivated” To Add Jadeveon Clowney

March 23rd, 2024 at 10:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Following Jadeveon Clowney‘s visit with the Jets earlier this month, the team is focused on getting a deal finalized. According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the Jets are “highly motivated” to sign the veteran edge rusher to a contract. Schultz notes that the two sides have been in “constant contact” since their in-person meeting.

Since losing Bryce Huff to the Eagles, the Jets have been hunting for some reinforcement on the edge. As Schultz notes, the Jets were in the running for Shaquil Barrett “until the very end,” but they lost out on that sweepstakes when the pass rusher signed with the Dolphins.

Now, they’re shifting their focus to Clowney, who is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career. The former first-overall pick got into 17 games (15 starts) for the Ravens in 2023, finishing with 9.5 sacks, 19 QB hits, and a pair of forced fumbles. For his efforts, Pro Football Focus graded Clowney 18th among 112 qualifying edge defenders.

In New York, Clowney would slide right into the rotational pass-rush role previously held by Huff, who finished last season with 10 sacks. While Huff didn’t start a game last year, he still got close to 500 defensive snaps playing alongside Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Myers. For comparison’s sake, Clowney garnered 654 snaps with the Ravens in 2023.

We heard previously that the Ravens were looking to retain the veteran, and Clowney also met with the Panthers during his free agency tour. According to Schultz, both of those teams remain in the hunt for the free agent, but it sounds like the Jets have been especially active in finalizing a deal.

Panthers To Meet With Jadeveon Clowney; Jets, Ravens Interested

March 14th, 2024 at 8:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 14: Clowney has another suitor in the Jets. The defensive lineman will visit with the Jets next week, according to Garafolo. The veteran will consider “multiple options” before making his decision. Clowney’s Jets visit is set for Tuesday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

The Jets are in natural need of some reinforcement on the edge. The team lost Bryce Huff to the Eagles, opening close to 500 defensive snaps alongside Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Myers.

MARCH 13: Known to take his time during free agency, Jadeveon Clowney has spent the 2020s journeying the league on one-year deals. The South Carolina alum’s next trip will be in a familiar region.

The Rock Hill, South Carolina, native is set to make a trip to visit the Panthers, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. A few teams are monitoring the Clowney market; this includes the Ravens, who coaxed a quality season from the nomadic pass rusher in 2023. The Panthers are meeting with Clowney, Chase Young and D.J. Wonnum on Thursday, ESPN’s David Newton tweets.

It took Clowney until mid-August to land a deal last year, and the former No. 1 overall pick’s Baltimore pact was worth only $2.5MM. After another bounce-back season, the South Carolina alum can aim higher. Clowney has never secured a long-term deal since the expiration of his Texans rookie contract, but he has done well for himself on this bevy of one-year agreements. Though, the edge defender has never come especially close to the kind of top-market contract that once seemed in play while he was in Houston.

En route to a No. 1 defensive ranking, the Ravens received Clowney’s top sack season. Known more for an all-around game, Clowney has never reached double-digit sacks in a season. His three Pro Bowls came back in Houston. But the once-elite prospect has four seasons with at least nine sacks on his resume.

Injury issues and inconsistency have impeded Clowney on the contract front, as he was not especially productive in Seattle, Tennessee or during his second year in Cleveland. But he did total nine sacks opposite Myles Garrett in 2021 while helping a previously edge-deficient Ravens team thrive — opposite September addition Kyle Van Noy — last season. Clowney totaled 19 QB hits for the second time in three years.

The Panthers made a rather surprising decision to accept second- and fifth-round picks from the Giants to wrap their years-long Brian Burns saga. That tag-and-trade transaction leaves the Panthers with next to nothing at edge rusher, with former second-round pick Yetur Gross-Matos agreeing to a two-year, $18MM 49ers deal as well. Clowney would help, though the move would remind — to a degree, at least — of last year’s Justin Houston stopgap addition.

Mentioned as being interested in retaining Clowney earlier this week, the Ravens are again in need on the edge. Their most recent band-aid pass rushers — Clowney and Van Noy — are both free agents. While Baltimore extended Justin Madubuike on a deal that set up the big-ticket Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins contracts, the team needs to fill out its outside linebacker depth chart once again.

Ravens, OLB Jadeveon Clowney Have Mutual Interest In New Deal

March 10th, 2024 at 9:39pm CST by Ely Allen

After leading the NFL with a 13-4 record, the Ravens are primed to experience a potential mass exodus of talent in free agency. The team was able to secure defensive tackle All-Pro Justin Madubuike on a new four-year, $98MM extension, but other key contributors like Odell Beckham Jr., Kevin Zeitler, Gus Edwards, JK Dobbins, Devin Duvernay, and John Simpson on offense and Patrick Queen, Geno Stone, Ronald Darby, and Kyle Van Noy on defense are all still on their way to free agency.

While many of the above players are expected to leave Baltimore this offseason, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tells us that both the Ravens and outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney interested in keeping their partnership going. Clowney joined the Ravens halfway through training camp on a one-year, $2.5MM deal. After delivering one of his best seasons since his days in Houston, though, Clowney isn’t likely to play on another discounted contract.

Clowney finished second on the Ravens with 9.5 sacks in 2023, matching his career-high total from 2017. If Clowney can get a full offseason with the team under his belt, hopes are that he can avoid a letdown year with a system in which he thrived, something that occurred during his second year in Cleveland.

If the Ravens bring back Clowney, he will rejoin a group of outside linebackers that includes Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo, two players Baltimore is still waiting to see break out. The team is still hoping to get Tyus Bower back after watching the veteran miss the entire 2023 season with a knee injury.

Bowser claims that he’s making a full recovery from knee surgery and will definitely be back next season, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Bowser will be coming back into a contract year, the final season of his four-year, $22MM deal. This is all assuming the Ravens don’t try to reduce his $7.5MM cap hit by $5.5MM by cutting him prior to his return.

The Ravens have some unproven, young assets at the position, but the team will likely hope to have some playmakers like Clowney, Bowser, and/or a potential new addition via the draft or free agency in the mix, as well. We’ll likely start to see their plan for the position moving forward as free agency starts this week.

Ravens Rumors: Left Guard, Wallace, Washington, Clowney

August 23rd, 2023 at 10:01pm CST by Ely Allen

The competition for a starting job that began with five or six candidates has seemingly been whittled down to two. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, it seems that veteran John Simpson and rookie Malaesala Aumavae-Laula are the final two players fighting for the starting left guard job in 2023.

Simpson appears to be the frontrunner. He has received a good amount of snaps with the first-team offensive line in camp and hasn’t looked out of place. Aumavae-Laula is viewed to have a higher ceiling than Simpson, and while the sixth-round pick out of Oregon has shown less consistency, the staff seems to be open to “letting him learn on the job.” With Simpson receiving the most first-team reps leading up to the regular season, it appears to be his job to lose, but it may be difficult to hold off Aumavae-Laula for long.

On the flipside, it’s a disappointing outcome for former third-round pick Ben Cleveland. After losing the starting battle to Ben Powers last year, the 6-foot-6, 357-pound lineman seems to be on the losing end of the competition for the second straight year. If he can’t show something soon, Cleveland may find himself fighting for a roster spot next summer.

Here are a few more rumors coming out of Baltimore:

Weeks ago, wide receiver Tylan Wallace was considered a likely candidate to be cut before the start of the regular season. After Wallace only amassed 56 receiving yards over his first two seasons, the additions of Odell Beckham Jr., Nelson Agholor, and Zay Flowers made Wallace’s future cut seem like a foregone conclusion. With Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay, among others, set to return, the battle for the WR6 position became a must-win. According to Zrebiec, Wallace responded to the adversity by hiring a new trainer and showing out in the preseason. Wallace has given strong performances in the last two weeks while other fringe receivers like James Proche have seen some rough stretches. There’s no guarantee that Baltimore holds on to six wide receivers, but if they do, Wallace is making a strong case for the job.
Formerly an undrafted free agent, Ar’Darius Washington has kept at least a spot on the practice squad with the Ravens over his first two NFL seasons as a promising reserve safety and special teamer. According to Zrebiec, though, he has inflated his stock this preseason by shining as a nickel cornerback. His smaller 5-foot-8, 177-pound frame makes some matchups an issue, but Washington has been one of the Ravens’ top performers in the past two weeks and should make a strong case for a roster spot and a true role on the defense.
Finally, while second-year pass rusher David Ojabo hasn’t stood out much in the team’s preseason games, the Ravens staff is still excited about his development after barely playing coming off an injury as a rookie. According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, head coach John Harbaugh made a point to say that the addition of veteran edge Jadeveon Clowney would not impact the playing time of Ojabo. “You want to have enough guys,” Harbaugh said. “There’s a lot of snaps…about 1,200 snaps in the season. You need all those guys.”
Hensley’s colleague at ESPN, Field Yates, also provided us with some details on Clowney’s contract with the Ravens. Along with Clowney’s base contract value of $2.5MM, consisting of a $1.17MM base salary and a $1.34MM signing bonus, Clowney can receive up to $3.5MM of incentives. Specifically, he will earn $500K for five sacks, $1MM for seven sacks, or $1.75MM for nine sacks. The same respective amounts would be paid out if Clowney plays over 50 percent, 60 percent, or 65 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. If he hits full incentives, it would push the total value of his contract up to $6MM. Finally, he will earn a per game active roster bonus of $20K for a potential season total of $340K.

Ravens Sign Jadeveon Clowney

August 18th, 2023 at 2:22pm CST by Adam La Rose

2:22pm: Clowney’s deal includes base compensation of $2.5MM and has a maximum value of $6MM via incentives, per Zrebiec and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter links). The latter figure matches the guaranteed value of Houston’s pact with the Panthers, so the Ravens’ new edge veteran will likely end up being a less costly replacement.

11:32am: Not long after visiting the team on a workout, Jadeveon Clowney has circled back to the Ravens. The veteran edge rusher has agreed to a deal with Baltimore, reports Josina Anderson of CBS Sports (Twitter link). The agreement has since been confirmed by a team announcement.

Clowney met with the Ravens last week, signaling the interest which existed between team and player. The former No. 1 pick had been on the market since his Browns release, and he had not seen much of a market until recently. Baltimore was interested in other veteran edge rushers as well, but it comes as little surprise that they have come to terms.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport adds, to no surprise, that this Clowney deal is one year in length. Jeff Zrebiec of the Athletic notes, meanwhile, that the contract was agreed to last night and it will be signed as early as today (Twitter links). The 30-year-old has made a career of short-term agreements, bouncing around the league while posting inconsistent numbers in the sack department. His 2021 total of nine in that regard showed promise for his long-term future in Cleveland, but things took a much different turn with the Browns last season.

Remarks related to playing time and usage led to the three-time Pro Bowler being sent home for the season finale. A public apology ensued, but it nevertheless came as no surprise when he was released in March, setting up yet another free agency period. A return to the AFC South seemed possible at one point, with Clowney noting a reunion with the Texans was on his radar. He also visited the Jaguars recently, but Jacksonville was not prepared to make a contract offer.

Instead, the South Carolina product will join a Ravens team which was in search of a veteran edge rusher. The departure of Justin Houston left the team with recent draftees Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo and Tavius Robinson, along with veteran Tyus Bowser in place as pass-rushers. The latter has succeeded while serving in a versatile role rather than one predicated solely on sack production, while the former three have combined to play 34 regular season NFL games. Clowney, a veteran of Houston, Seattle, Tennessee and Cleveland, has 109 games to his name and should serve as a rotational edge defender.

Baltimore addressed a lack of healthy corners with the signing of Ronald Darby yesterday. That contract has been followed up by one for Clowney, who will be counted on as a depth addition to a Ravens front which ranked sixth in the league with 48 sacks last season. While that has not proven to be a dependable skillset for the latter, he should play a notable role in his latest new home.

AFC South Notes: Clowney, Titans, Colts

August 17th, 2023 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jadeveon Clowney has made two visits but remains a free agent. Following his Ravens meeting, the former No. 1 overall pick visited the Jaguars. Not only did the Jags let Clowney leave, Doug Pederson indicated (via NFL.com’s James Palmer) the well-traveled pass rusher left Jacksonville without a contract offer. Clowney, 30, did not exactly part ways with the Browns on good terms, clashing with the team’s coaching staff during his second season as Myles Garrett‘s top sidekick. Clowney has now played for four teams, and while a return to the AFC South would strengthen the Jags’ pass rush, no deal is imminent.

The Jags lost Arden Key, who signed with the Titans, but reunited with Dawuane Smoot, who is coming off a December Achilles tear. Key’s exit will place more pressure on last year’s No. 1 pick, Travon Walker, who finished with 3.5 sacks and 10 QB hits as a rookie. Josh Allen remains Jacksonville’s pass-rushing anchor, but more will be expected of Walker. Clowney played for $8MM in 2021 and $10MM last year. The Jaguars hold a $10MM cap-space lead on the Ravens, carrying $18.4MM to Baltimore’s $8.8MM.

Here is the latest from the AFC South:

Although the Titans made a promotion to fill their offensive coordinator job for the third straight occasion, Tim Kelly has made some changes. The team has pivoted to the type of offense Kelly and Bill O’Brien ran in Houston, rather than the version of the Sean McVay attack Matt LaFleur brought with him back in 2018, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. “There’s a touch more freedom in his offense,” Ryan Tannehill said of the Patriots-style attack. “Being able to make adjustments on the fly, make changes at the line of scrimmage, a little more freedom within the route trees.” The Titans dropped from 17th to 30th in total offense from 2021 to 2022, helping lead to Todd Downing‘s ouster.
Tennessee is once again dealing with issues staffing its right tackle position, with Nicholas Petit-Frere incurring a six-game gambling suspension. The Titans also released Jamarco Jones, who was competing for the temporary fill-in gig, early in training camp. July pickup Chris Hubbard has taken over as the frontrunner to replace Petit-Frere to start the season, The Athletic’s John Rexrode notes (subscription required). Hubbard, who spent the past five years in Cleveland, has not worked as a regular starter since 2019 and has only started one game over the past two seasons. The Titans will have four new O-line starters in Week 1, and with Aaron Brewer sliding from guard to center, the team will not have any 2022 O-line starter playing the same position to open the season.
As the Colts transition to another coaching staff, Mo Alie-Cox‘s Colts roster spot might not be secure. The veteran tight end is vying for a blocking role against offseason signing Pharaoh Brown, according to the Indianapolis Star’s Nate Atkins. The Colts have Jelani Woods as a roster lock and used a fifth-round pick on Will Mallory. While Atkins notes Alie-Cox should have the upper hand on Brown, the team has some decisions to make. Kylen Granson, a 2021 fourth-round pick, is also not assured of a job in Shane Steichen‘s offense. It would cost the Colts $2.4MM in dead money to release Alie-Cox, who has been with the team since 2017.
The Texans are hiring former Northwestern director of player personnel Jonny Kovach as a player personnel assistant, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes. Multiple offers came Kovach’s way, per Wilson. Kovach had stayed on with the Big Ten program due to loyalty to Pat Fitzgerald. With Fitzgerald dismissed in the wake of the program’s hazing scandal, Kovach will make the jump to the pros.

Jaguars To Host Jadeveon Clowney

August 13th, 2023 at 7:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

7:58pm: Clowney’s visit in Jacksonville has come and gone without a deal being made. After leaving Baltimore without the promise of a contract, Clowney once again concludes a visit with no deal imminent, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Only one season removed from a nine-sack 2021 performance, it’s unclear who is determining the progress of these contracts. Either teams are hesitant to ink a pass rusher who has recorded three or fewer sacks in three of the last four seasons or Clowney is seeking a value that he hasn’t yet been offered. Either way, Clowney’s search for the fifth NFL team of his career continues.

3:40pm: Another suitor has emerged for Jadeveon Clowney. The veteran edge rusher is set to meet with the Jaguars today, reports Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 (Twitter link).

The Ravens hosted the former No. 1 pick a few days ago, and his market now appears to be heating up late in the offseason. Clowney did not depart Baltimore with a deal in place, but head coach John Harbaugh indicated the team is still interested in one. With the likes of Yannick Ngakoue and Justin Houston having signed recently, the pass-rush market has thinned out considerably.

That could help drive Clowney back to the AFC South. He spent the first five years of his career in Houston, earning each of his three Pro Bowl nods between 2016-18. Clowney has played exclusively on short-term deals since then, however, including one-year stints with the Seahawks and Titans. His Browns tenure, which began in 2021, came to an unceremonious end after his release in March.

Jacksonville could represent a suitable landing spot for Clowney as he looks for yet another new beginning. The Jaguars retained a number of contributors from last year’s surprisingly successful team, but production on the edge has been an area for improvement during the offseason. Jacksonville registered just 35 sacks in 2022, and Arden Key (responsible for 4.5 of them) was among the few players to depart Duval County.

One player who has increasingly come under fire with respect to edge production – or a distinct lack thereof – is K’Lavon Chaisson. The LSU alum has recorded just one sack in each of his Jaguars campaigns, making the team’s decision to decline his fifth-year option an obvious one. A step forward from Chiasson would help Jacksonville improve on the edge, but the addition of Clowney, 30, could as well. Sack totals have fluctuated for the latter, but in 2021 he posted nine, matching the second-highest total of his career.

Clowney could at least be in line for a rotational role to compliment Pro Bowler Josh Allen in a pass-rushing capacity should his Jaguars visit produce an agreement. Jacksonville currently sits sixth in the league in cap space with $18.3MM, so they could afford a short-term commitment to Clowney or fend off other interested parties if needed. It will be interesting to see how many other suitors (if any) emerge in the near future as Clowney approaches a decision on his future.

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