After weeks of rumors connecting Jadeveon Clowney to a Cleveland return, that agreement has come to pass. Clowney will stay with the Browns on a one-year deal, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports (on Twitter).
The ninth-year defensive end will stay in Cleveland on a deal worth up to $11MM, USA Today’s Josina Anderson tweets. Incentives are included in this total, making it appear similar to the one-year, $8MM pact Clowney inked with the Browns in 2021. Either way, this will ensure Myles Garrett‘s edge-rushing partner will return — something the All-Pro lobbied for — for a second season.
The sides agreed to this deal Wednesday, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, but needed a few more days to finalize it (Twitter link). Clowney should be expected to earn close to that $11MM total, RapSheet adds, noting that the veteran edge defender turned down multiyear deals worth more than $14MM from other teams to stay in Cleveland (Twitter links).
While this does not stop Clowney’s run of one-year agreements, it does ensure he will return to a team for the first time since his Texans rookie deal expired. Since the Texans executed a tag-and-trade sequence with the Seahawks late in the summer of 2019, Clowney has spent the past three seasons in Seattle, Tennessee and Cleveland. The Browns season marked his most successful, even if the team underwhelmed. Clowney’s nine sacks were his most since 2018, his most recent Pro Bowl year. He finished with 32 pressures (tied for 25th in the NFL) alongside Garrett, who tied T.J. Watt for a league-high 52. Garrett’s 16 sacks were also a Browns single-season record.
Cleveland used a third-round pick on defensive end Alex Wright and traded for ex-Patriots edge contributor Chase Winovich. This duo will now be positioned to be rotational rushers behind the Garrett-Clowney tandem. With the Browns having moved on from 2021 defensive tackle starters Malik Jackson and Malik McDowell, Clowney will be positioned to help as an inside rusher as well. That would allow one of the edge backups to join he and Garrett in sub-packages.
This does continue an interesting run of contracts for Clowney, who led off a talented 2014 draft. Injuries have plagued the former South Carolina super-prospect for most of his career, with knee trouble being at the forefront of his health issues. Clowney did play in 14 games last season, however. But the long-term deal packed with guarantees — along the lines of the ones 2014 classmates Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack received years ago — eluded him. Clowney, 29, played out his Texans contract but will finish his 20s on a year-to-year path.
Still, Clowney earned $15MM in 2019 (via the tag), $13MM in 2020 and $8MM (plus $750K in incentives) last year. In addition to the $30MM-plus he made in five years with the Texans, the three-time Pro Bowler has done pretty well for himself — albeit in unorthodox fashion.
I doubt very seriously he had multiple years for $14 million per. While what he has made over his career is a lot of $$$ others have been payed a lot more for less years. Seems like somewhere he went off the rails and it has affected his career earnings.
Ahh, but note the wording… it said that Clowney turned down multiple offers “worth more than $14 million”. Doesn’t say “per”. My guess is that other teams were asking for a 2 year deal to try and spread out his cap hit. Clowney seems to like to go year by year lately, and in any event I think he wanted to stay in CLE.
He’s gotten a bit of a bad rap because he was the first overall pick and everyone therefore expected a Hall of Famer. He won’t be going to Canton without a ticket, but he’s turned into a pretty good all-around player, not some one-trick pass rushing pony. Myles Garrett didn’t just want Clowney back for friendship; Clowney sets the edge against the run and helps do some of the dirty work so that Myles can just go after the QB.
Ahhh but I don’t think any player likes to go year to year. I think the big $$$ offers just aren’t there for him, so he takes a one year deal. See Jarvis Landry.
I would say, without being privy to any details of course, that it’s probably a bit of both. Clowney seems pretty picky about his offers, both in length and in regards to team. I’m not sure that he gets the offers he wants necessarily, but I do think that he is selective about them. Maybe it’s a result of his tumultuous time under that mess of a Houston regime.
This seems like the best option for both parties. Clowney had a great year, and Cleveland got a good bookend on a short deal that won’t tie their hands if it doesn’t work. Clowney complements Garrett very well, especially as voracious as he is against the run. I’m eager to see if he’ll ever get double digit sacks, but eight or more would be great for the Browns if Clowney continues to be disruptive in general on the edge.
So what does this mean for Baker?
Bakers gonna be gone. Clowney wouldn’t have re signed if Baker was QB. Baker lost the locker room during the OBJ drama & probably before that.
See this is what u should do when u get a boatload full of money…first put it in the freezer.You say freezer yup freezer mane when I get ready to pull it out,I got that cold haaard cash fo’yo a$$.Gone kuz’n get that money.
You are an imbecile.
And anyways this is my relative so I’m going to root for him to get his money…I c u have a problem with that.