The Panthers’ offseason roster cuts will include Jadeveon Clowney. The veteran pass rusher is being released, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The move is now official. 
Clowney’s future in Carolina has been a talking point this offseason, with the team engaging in trade talks prior to the draft. No deal was worked out during the event, but the Panthers added a pair of edge rushers on Day 2. As a result, Clowney’s tenure remained far from certain. Now, the former No. 1 pick will face free agency yet again.
2025 marked the final year of Clowney’s deal, the most recent short-term accord in his journeyman NFL career. This release will generate $7.78MM in cap savings while incurring a dead money charge of $6MM presuming it is not processed with a post-June 1 designation.
A Rock Hill, SC native and South Carolina alum, Clowney’s homecoming last spring set him up to handle a key role as the Panthers began the post-Brian Burns era along the edge. He started all 14 of his appearances, totaling 5.5 sacks along the way. Carolina will move forward without him in the fold, though, with Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen on the books for the next four years.
The Panthers were widely expected to target a defender with the No. 8 pick in this year’s draft, and Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker were still on the board when they were on the clock. Instead, the team went the receiver route by drafting Tetairoa McMillan. That decision was based in part on Carolina’s view that Day 2 offered better options along the edge than at the WR spot. The team is certainly confident its new additions on defense will be able to make an impact right away since efforts to land draft capital in return for Clowney have now ended.
The 32-year-old had one-and-done tenures with the Seahawks and Titans following his five years in Houston to begin his career. Clowney then spent two seasons in Cleveland, a stretch which included a downturn in production with only a pair of sacks in 2022. He enjoyed a bounce-back campaign with the Ravens the following year, matching his career high with 9.5 sacks. Baltimore was interested in retaining him, and the Jets were in the market as well. In the end, Carolina’s two-year offer won out, although that has proven to only amount to a one-year commitment.
The Panthers ranked last in the NFL in scoring and total defense, and their 32 sacks placed the team 29th in the league. Improvement in that regard will be a key goal, but Clowney will not play a role in that effort. He will now join the likes of Von Miller, Za’Darius Smith and Matt Judon as veteran edge rushers still on the market.
Is Clowney the most traveled 1st round selection ever?
Vinny Testaverde played for more teams
Idk if he’s the most
Definite not the most 1st round selection, but he’s up there for the 1st overall pick. Unfortunately for him, Clowney’s stats have never been consistently great, though he’s mostly been a high impact player. He seems comfortable bouncing around, for whatever reason-I really thought that he should have stayed in Baltimore instead of going to Carolina. That seemed like his best shot to finally get past that 9.5 sack hump for the first time.
Wow. They obviously brought in a ton of bodies for the defensive front, but he was one of the only legit front seven players they had last year and a lot of teams could still use him. Detroit would make a lot of sense.
Carolina had a legitimately horrible defense last year, and between drafting a WR in the first round and dropping Clowney, they’ve had a bit of a head-scratching offseason. Then again, maybe improving the offense could increase time of possession, get some points on the board, and ease the defense’s burden a bit. Maybe? Time will tell.
I actually loved how they handled the draft, even if I assumed they would go defense in the first. I think after Carter there was a lot of eye of the beholder stuff between the other edge rushers. I think McMillan was a strong pick. Even if his outcome is good not great, that’s a player worth over $20 million a year in this football economy. Meanwhile, I wouldn’t have been shocked if Scourton snuck into the late first round. Landing him and Umanmielen after adding a bunch of bodies in free agency was very well played, in my opinion. But I would have thought they would keep Clowney to raise the floor and buy the rookies some time.
Come to Dallas my Friend …We Are Officially ALL IN!!!
Add to the Depth and let’s go for that SB…
let me finish that for you. “we are officially ALL INSANE.”
have a nice day, dopey dallas dope
Ha! Well done.
All in the pretender category.
Brad Holmes on Line 1!
Is he “a top free agent” again?
At this point in the offseason, he actually probably is. Not many other edge options this late in the season with starting experience and recent productivity.
I’m thinking Za’Darius Smith has been better overall, but probly more expensive.
Definitely better as a pass rusher. Not sure if his run defense is as good as Clowney’s right, it may very well be. They’re probably comparable in my eyes, with Smith offering more against the pass. But I could concede him over Clowney.
Ravens should bring him back if reasonable price
Come back to Seahawks for a payback. Seahawks traded away a 3rd-round draft pick and more for him, but he didn’t play to his potential during the 13 games he played.
He probably wants to go to a team that actually has a shot of winning something.
Yep..that’s why he signed with Carolina.
Howie on line 1
Clowney to the Niners to complement Bosa
To the bills to compliment Bosa
He was all hype coming out of college from that one massive hit he laid on that running back. Once again the talent evaluators overrated him and selected him #1 overall. Was a great prospect coming out of college? Maybe, worthy of the #1 overall pick? No way.
His bouncing around since his rookie deal ended, and his career high of 9.5 sacks is proof he was way over drafted #1 overall in the vain of Jamarcus Russell, Aundray Bruce, Steve Emtman, Tim Couch, Courtney Brown to name a few. At least he eked out a long professional career.
Draft is no guarantees.
That’s just factually untrue. Clowney was regarded as the possible first overall pick as early as the year before, when he was not eligible to come out because he was a sophomore. The hit came at the end of his junior year, in the Putback Bowl, when he was already regarded as the first overall pick. People keep saying this ridiculous take when it’s extremely easy to debunk by checking almost any mock draft from that year prior to the Bowl or even the year before. Several articles are available from that period which make reference to that fact.
Also, as disappointing as Clowney has been as a pass rusher, to compare him to Jamarcus Russell is utterly insane. Sure, Clowney did not have the career we envisioned after watching go first overall, but he is hardly a bust. To lump him in with those guys, coupled with your comment about the hit sending him up the board, just doesn’t reflect reality.
*Outback
Outback bowl could be interesting…lol
The “Putback Bowl”-a game where every team could be granted a mulligan on one draft pick from the year prior, and they all play a bowl game against each other. The team from the year before could be the opposite team. The winners get to go back to college and try again. It could happen before the start of the college season-like an Anti-Hall of Fame game.
As for Clowney…it was actually an interesting moment in that game. South Carolina had just been denied possession on a fourth down conversion, from all appearances, unrightfully so. The game had been competitive at that point, and when Michigan was awarded the ball, the stadium and announcers (Mike Tirico and maybe Jon Gruden?) were incredulous. That’s when Clowney came unblocked through the line to hit Vincent Smith, a fullback, with such force that he sent his helmet flying and forced a fumble. Clowney recovered it with one hand to give possession to his team in a critical moment in the game.
So, while the hit itself was impressive (even considering the fact that Michigan somehow forgot to block the best player in college football at the time), the context was also quite interesting, as well.
Most overrated player to come out of South Carolina from just a big hit on qb that made him famous and it came on busted play when RBI’s didn’t pick up the blitz
Again, as I stated above, this is false. Clowney was regarded as a first round pick, even possibly first overall, as early as the year prior to him making that hit. Look it up, you’ll find that available evidence (such as articles from before that hit) supports my statement.