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Poll: Where Will Jadeveon Clowney Sign?

April 6th, 2020 at 11:39am CST by Zach 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.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Anderson Denies Report Of Jets Offer

April 5th, 2020 at 6:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

For weeks, rumors of a Jets–Robby Anderson reunion circulated. Anderson said the Jets wanted him back and that he wanted to stay. The team was reported to be eyeing an Anderson agreement — but only at a price. Anderson instead signed a two-year, $20MM Panthers deal. A report emerged this week about the four-year veteran turning down a four-year, $40MM Jets offer, but Anderson (via The Athletic’s Joseph Person, subscription required) denied such a proposal occurred. The Jets moved quickly to replace Anderson with Breshad Perriman for one year and $6MM. They will likely enter the draft with a big receiver need.

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Jets Contract Details: Perriman, Desir, McGovern

April 5th, 2020 at 3:54pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Here’s some of the contract details for a number of Gang Green’s offseason additions:

Connor McGovern, (Jets): three-year, $27MM, $17MM guaranteed; $4MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $5MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $8MM (fully guaranteed), 2022: $9MM; $1MM roster bonus in 2020, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic New York.

Breshad Perriman, (Jets): one-year, $6.5MM, $6MM guaranteed; $3MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $3MM (fully guaranteed); $500k in per-game roster bonuses, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic New York.

Pierre Desir, (Jets): one-year, $4MM, $2MM guaranteed; $2MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $1.25MM; $375k in attainable incentives, $500k in per-game roster bonuses, and $1.37MM in incentives based on playing time and awards, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic New York.

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FIU QB James Morgan Drawing Interest

April 5th, 2020 at 12:29pm CST by Rory Parks

FIU quarterback James Morgan is starting to generate some buzz as we get closer to draft day, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. Morgan made his way onto our site for the first time today, when we wrote that the Patriots have shown some interest, and New England is not the only team sniffing around.

Per Wilson, a number of clubs are closely vetting Morgan, though COVID-19 restrictions obviously mean that he can’t visit teams or work out privately for them. Wilson’s sources say that in addition to the Patriots, the Packers, Bears, Colts, Raiders, Giants, Bills, Jets, and Dolphins are among the teams intrigued by Morgan.

It is not surprising to see most of the teams on that list. New England, of course, is in the market for a collegiate passer after watching Tom Brady sign with the Buccaneers, and the Dolphins have long been connected to this year’s top rookie QBs. The Raiders, Bears, and Colts have varying degrees of long-term uncertainty at the quarterback position, and the Packers had planned to host the best QB prospects before pre-draft visits were cancelled (Morgan is actually a Green Bay native, and the Packers may be starting to prepare for life without Aaron Rodgers).

Meanwhile, all three New York outfits seem to have a long-term solution under center already, although none of their incumbents are sure things at the moment. And given that Morgan is a mid- to late-round prospect, it couldn’t hurt for those teams to at least have a look.

Morgan performed well at this year’s scouting combine and at the East-West Shrine Game, and a Southeast Area NFL scout said Morgan has one of the three strongest arms in the draft, along with the intelligence and leadership qualities that teams covet. After an uneven tenure at Bowling Green, Morgan transferred to FIU in 2018 and earned Conference USA Newcomer of the Year honors by completing over 65% of his passes for 26 TDs and seven interceptions.

His 2019 effort was not quite as strong, but he has put together enough quality tape to start rising up draft boards.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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No Progress On Jamal Adams Contract Talks

April 5th, 2020 at 11:45am CST by Rory Parks

We heard at the end of January that the Jets and star safety Jamal Adams were beginning contract talks, but as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes, those talks have been tabled for the time being. If Adams does get a new deal from Gang Green, it will not happen until after this month’s draft, and perhaps not until closer to the start of the regular season.

In the meantime, a trade is still a possibility. The Jets made Adams available in advance of the trade deadline in October, and while their asking price was too rich for a rival club to pull the trigger, we heard that a trade could still come together before the 2020 season gets underway. The Cowboys were negotiating with the Jets in the fall — they reportedly offered a first-round pick and backup corner Anthony Brown — and Cimini says there are rumors that Dallas is planning to make another run at Adams before the draft (though the club did add Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in free agency).

However, it does not sound as if the Jets have reduced their demands. They were asking for a first-rounder and two second-rounders at the deadline, and Cimini reports that it would still take an “extraordinary offer” to convince New York to deal Adams. After all, the LSU product has already established himself as an elite safety, and he won’t turn 25 until October.

The Dallas native previously indicated he would love to join the Cowboys, so if Jerry Jones‘ outfit does swing a trade, Adams would surely be receptive to a long-term pact. But whoever gives him his next contract will need to be prepared to make him the highest-paid safety in the game. Adams stands to land a deal paying him at least $15MM per season with upwards of $45MM in guaranteed money.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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AFC East Notes: Tua, Pats, Diggs

April 5th, 2020 at 10:46am CST by Rory Parks

Though Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa has most commonly been connected to the division-rival Dolphins, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe believes the stars are aligning for the Patriots to make a play for the southpaw passer. The Lions — and all of their New England connections — hold the No. 3 overall pick and will have a major impact on how the quarterback dominoes fall in this year’s draft. If Detroit trades down, as many expect, Volin suggests that New England’s No. 23 overall pick along with a mid-rounder and a veteran player like Julian Edelman could be enough to get a deal done. The Patriots’ ties with Alabama head coach Nick Saban would also help give the team a little more insight into Tagovailoa as a player and as a person.

Let’s round up a few more AFC East rumors on another stay-at-home Sunday:

Volin’s proposal may be a little far-fetched, but if Tagovailoa starts to slide on draft day — after all, the Dolphins may not be entirely sold on him, and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report says the 2018 Heisman runner-up is the No. 3 or 4 QB on some teams’ boards even if he is completely healthy — then the Patriots could be in play, per Doug Kyed of NESN.com.
One way or another, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says the Patriots will draft a rookie signal-caller. While he does not rule out a dramatic move for a player like Tagovailoa, he also says the team could once again target a mid-round prospect and is eyeing FIU passer James Morgan.
WR Stefon Diggs sounded like a man who wanted out of Minnesota for awhile, and he finally got his wish when he got traded to the Bills in March. However, his displeasure with the Vikings had more to do with his role in the offense than his contract; he signed a five-year, $72MM extension last summer, and he still has another four years to go on that pact. Still, the contract looks fairly team-friendly in the current market, so Buffalo GM Brandon Beane was recently asked if Diggs is content with his deal. Beane side-stepped the issue, saying simply that Diggs is “happy to be in Buffalo” (Twitter link via Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News). It would indeed be rather surprising to see the Bills rework a contract that has four years remaining.
Rich Cimini of ESPN.com confirms that Jets guard Brian Winters, who was presumed to be a cap casualty not that long ago, will remain with the Jets and will compete for a job in training camp. Cimini says that if Winters does not win a starting role, he will likely be asked to take a pay cut.

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Jets Like CeeDee Lamb

April 4th, 2020 at 7:03pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Jets lost Robby Anderson in free agency and didn’t do much to replace him or add receiving help outside of signing Breshad Perriman. They could certainly use another wideout and while the sources Miller talked to still expected the Jets to take an offensive tackle with the 11th overall pick, he also learned that the team is very high on Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb. Lamb put up ridiculous numbers with the Sooners last year, racking up 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games.

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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.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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NFL Contract Details: Lions, Seahawks, Vikings, Jets, Broncos

April 2nd, 2020 at 7:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed NFL deals:

Tony McRae, CB (Lions): One year, $1MM. $200K guaranteed. $100K signing bonus (Twitter link via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News).
Phillip Dorsett, WR (Seahawks): One year, $1.048MM. $138K guaranteed. Qualifies as veteran minimum salary benefit deal (Twitter link via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com).
Ameer Abdullah, RB (Vikings): One year, $910K. $45K signing bonus. $45K roster bonus. Qualifiers as veteran minimum salary benefit deal (Twitter link via Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune).
Anthony Zettel, DE (Vikings): One year, $910K. $45K signing bonus. $45K roster bonus. Qualifiers as veteran minimum salary benefit deal (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press).
Joseph Jones, LB (Broncos): One year, $825K. No guaranteed money (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News).
Bennett Jackson, DB (Jets): One year, $725K. $100K guaranteed. $50K signing bonus (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com).

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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.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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