Jadeveon Clowney

Browns Still Interested In Jadeveon Clowney

May 28th, 2020 at 9:23am CST by Ben Levine

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Following reports from yesterday that Jadeveon Clowney turned down an offer from the Browns, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that the Browns are still interested in the free agent pass rusher.

We learned last night that Clowney had rejected Cleveland’s contract, even though it was the most lucrative deal he’s been offered. Cabot notes that the 27-year-old is still “weighing his options.”

Clowney’s contract demands have dropped throughout the offseason. While the former first-overall pick was previously seeking a deal that’d pay him $20MM per year, those demands have been reduced to the $17MM to $18MM range. It’s uncertain how much money Cleveland offered the defensive end.

While Cleveland could certainly use some talent, they’re not in desperate need for a pass rusher. After all, they have former first-overall pick Myles Garrett as well as former Pro Bowler Olivier Vernon. Still, as Cabot points out, Browns general manager Andrew Berry isn’t afraid of making a big splash.

“We’re actively always looking, whether it’s draft, free agency, trades, waiver wire, you name it, to add players to our roster,” Berry previously said. “Obviously Jadeveon, he’s a good football player. But for us, it really goes back to something I mentioned maybe a few months ago. Rest assured, across all opportunities to acquire players, we’re going to be aggressive in adding talent to the roster.”

The Titans have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Clowney, and there’s still a chance he returns to the Seahawks. Earlier this offseason, Clowney reportedly expressed interest in joining the Giants or Jets. Neither New York team, despite apparent edge defender needs, has strongly reciprocated such interest.

Jadeveon Clowney Turns Down Browns

May 27th, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Still a free agent after nearly 2 1/2 months, Jadeveon Clowney may have scratched one destination off his list. The high-profile pass rusher turned down an offer from the Browns, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter said during a radio interview with ESPN Cleveland (Twitter link).

The Browns have offered Clowney the most money thus far, Schefter adds. While the Clowney-to-Cleveland door may not be fully closed, it does appear the former No. 1 overall pick has doubts about such a scenario.

As this lengthy process has unfolded, Clowney has received interest from the Browns, Titans and Seahawks. Earlier on, however, Clowney reportedly expressed interest in joining the Giants or Jets. Neither New York team, despite apparent edge defender needs, has strongly reciprocated such interest.

Details about Cleveland’s proposal are not known, but Clowney has set his price high. He lowered it earlier in free agency, but his target — even on a one-year deal — likely remains substantial.

Cleveland still houses Olivier Vernon opposite Myles Garrett. Vernon is attached to a $15.25MM salary in the final year of his Giants-constructed contract. The Browns shopped Vernon earlier this offseason, but the way it’s looking now, the former Dolphins and Giants defensive end will have a good chance of finishing out his five-year deal this season.

Top Remaining Free Agents

May 20th, 2020 at 9:34am CST by Rory Parks

While most of the top free agents in this year’s cycle have long since signed with new clubs, there are plenty of potential difference-makers still available. Those players remain on the market for various reasons — price tag, injury concerns, etc. — but they all could be a key factor in the fortunes of whatever team they ultimately join. Let’s take a look at the best of who’s still out there:

Jadeveon Clowney: If you think you’ve been reading a lot about Clowney over the past couple of months, you’re right. That’s what happens when a former No. 1 overall pick and a young dynamic talent is still up for grabs this late in the offseason. Clowney’s high asking price, originally said to be $20MM per year, certainly scared some teams off, as did his recent core muscle surgery. Some will also point to his relatively low sack totals as evidence that he is not the dynamic pass rushing force that he believes himself to be. But he undeniably has the chops to be a game-changer against the run and pass, and he is content to wait for the right situation to come along. Once teams have the opportunity to evaluate him themselves, his market should heat up rapidly.
Cam Newton: Here’s another former No. 1 overall pick that we have written a great deal about recently. Like Clowney, the 2015 MVP may be signed by now if interested teams could have their own doctors examine him, and Newton is willing to be patient and wait for that to happen if waiting will allow him to secure a starting gig somewhere. But at this point, it looks like only an injury or major underpeformance will open the door for a QB1 role in 2020, so he may have to settle for a top backup job for now and hit the free agent market again in 2021. He is reportedly warming to that idea.
Everson Griffen: Like Clowney, Griffen is a talented pass rusher, but unlike Clowney, Griffen has multiple double-digit sack campaigns under his belt. The 32-year-old posted eight QB takedowns in 2019, and it is a little surprising to see him unsigned this late in the process. A reunion with the Vikings may be in the cards, and the Seahawks are the only other club to be connected to Griffen at this point.
Jason Peters: The only reason Peters isn’t signed yet is because of his age (38). He turned in a typically terrific season in 2019, and he has been connected to a number of clubs over the past couple of months. The problem is, many of those teams have filled their needs at the offensive tackle spots, so even though Peters has said that he is willing to play on the left or the right side, his options are now more limited. The Chargers could still be in play, and another year with the Eagles may also be a reality.
Logan Ryan: Unlike several of the players ahead of him on this list, Ryan doesn’t have any notable health concerns, but his asking price — he’s seeking around $10MM per year — could be depressing his market. He turned in a productive 2019 season with the Titans and has the versatility to move around the defensive backfield, which has apparently led to multi-year offers. Given the need for quality corners in today’s game, Ryan will likely land a lucrative deal soon, it just may not be as lucrative as he wants. The Jets and Dolphins are involved in the bidding.
Markus Golden: Golden enjoyed what appeared to be a breakout season with the Cardinals in 2016, posting 12.5 sacks in just his second year in the league. But injuries limited the edge rusher over the 2017-18 seasons, and he had to settle for a one-year prove-it deal with the Giants in 2019. He perhaps thought that he proved it, recording 10 sacks for Big Blue, but those 10 sacks came from just 26 total pressures, which is probably an unsustainable conversion rate. So far, only the Giants — who put the rarely-used UFA tender on Golden — have been publicly connected to him.
Devonta Freeman: We haven’t heard a peep about the two-time Pro Bowl running back since the Falcons released him in March. The fact that Atlanta replaced him with Todd Gurley and his frightening injury concerns isn’t a good sign, and Freeman’s 3.6 YPC average in 2019 certainly isn’t helping matters either. Freeman’s own injury problems limited him to two games in 2018, so he is now two years removed from his last effective season. It’s nonetheless a bit of a surprise that there have been no rumors of interest in his services.
Delanie Walker: The best tight end left on the market, Walker has battled injuries over the past two seasons and will turn 36 in August, so it makes sense that we haven’t heard too much about him lately. But while he may not be a TE1 anymore, he could still be a useful weapon in the passing game, and he also has a history of being a strong blocker. The Colts, Packers, and Redskins were said to be interested in him in March, and those teams continue to look like good fits even after the draft. The Ravens, who rely heavily on TEs and who traded Hayden Hurst to the Falcons this offseason, also make some sense.
Eric Reid: The 28-year-old safety turned in what appeared to be a strong year in 2019, starting all 16 games for the Panthers and posting a career-best 130 tackles. The problem is, he may have had so many tackle opportunities because he allowed over 77% of throws in his vicinity to be completed. Still, he is an experienced and generally solid back-end defender, and the Texans — who employ his brother, Justin Reid — seem like a logical fit.
Darqueze Dennard: Dennard, a former first-round pick of the Bengals, thought he had a deal with the Jaguars in March. But Jacksonville backed out of the deal, and while there was no word on why that happened, it could be that health concerns made the Jags skittish. Dennard missed the first few weeks of the 2019 season due to a knee procedure, but he did play every game from Week 10 forward and graded out well in terms of Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He has been Cincinnati’s primary slot corner over the past several seasons, but there has been no reported interest in him since the failed Jaguars pact.

Eagles Unwilling To Approach Jadeveon Clowney’s Asking Price?

May 14th, 2020 at 5:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Pass rushing stands as the Eagles’ biggest remaining need and Jadeveon Clowney stands as the best pass rusher left on the market. It seems like a natural fit for Howie Roseman & Co., but the Eagles’ don’t seem to have much interest in him at this time, according to SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan (via the Inside The Birds podcast).

In fact, the Eagles haven’t even been in touch with Clowney’s representatives, according to Caplan. Instead, the Eagles caught wind of Clowney’s asking price through the grapevine and quickly decided that it was too rich for their blood. When free agency started, Clowney was reportedly seeking $21MM. A few weeks in, he dropped that ask to somewhere around $17MM. Meanwhile, Caplan gets the sense that the Eagles would only explore Clowney if he slashed it down to about $10MM on a one-year deal. Even then, he’s not so sure the Eagles would bite.

Clowney, the top pick in the 2014 draft, has tallied 32 regular season sacks over the course of his career. Last year, he notched his first ever postseason sack and also caused a stir when he took out Carson Wentz with a late hit. For what it’s worth, Wentz recently said that he would be alright with Clowney joining the locker room.

“I don’t think he had any ill will with that hit,” Wentz said (via Reuben Frank of NBC Sports). “That’s part of football. But he’s a heck of a player, so I trust Howie to make the right decisions to make our team the best we can be.”

Unless Clowney drastically lowers his price, it sounds like Roseman will pass on Clowney. No matter what, the Eagles will have to improve their edge group between now and September. Last year, the Eagles’ D ranked just 19th against the pass and Brandon Graham represented the team’s only reliable blitzer. In the draft, the Eagles nabbed some offensive linemen, a pair of linebackers, tons of speedy wide receivers, and even a quarterback in Jalen Hurts, but they did not select an edge rusher until the seventh round.

Titans HC: I Haven’t Talked To Jadeveon Clowney

May 14th, 2020 at 12:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans have been heavily connected to Jadeveon Clowney, but we haven’t heard much on that front in recent days. When head coach Mike Vrabel was asked the edge rusher on Thursday, he indicated that nothing is imminent.

“[I haven’t] talked to JD personally,” Vrabel said in an interview on SiriusXM (transcript via PFT). “I would say Jon and I continue to evaluate the roster and the available free agents. As of now, I would say that nothing is off the table but nothing is certainly on the table either. He’s not on the team.”

If the Titans were on the cusp of a deal with Clowney, he probably would have spoken directly with their head coach by now. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Clowney and his agent haven’t been in touch with GM Jon Robinson or other folks from Tennessee’s front office. In fact, last month, Robinson confirmed that he’s touched base with Clowney’s camp.

The Titans came into the offseason with edge help on their to-do list and they addressed it – at least, partially – by signing former Falcons defensive end Vic Beasley to a one-year deal. In the draft, they focused on other areas and only used one of their six selections on the D-Line. NC State’s Larrell Murchison could turn out to be a fine player, but he plays on the interior, and the fifth-round pick doesn’t offer the same kind of difference-making potential as Clowney.

The Clowney/Titans chatter figures to continue for a while, especially given his history with Vrabel. Vrabel coached him in Houston, guiding him to his best season ever in 2017. In that campaign, Clowney notched a career-high 9.5 sacks en route to his second of three Pro Bowl appearances.

Latest On Jadeveon Clowney

May 13th, 2020 at 7:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks don’t seem interested in re-signing Jadeveon Clowney and it could be a while before the edge rusher joins any NFL team. Jay Glazer of The Athletic hears that the free agent defensive end wants to wait a while – “perhaps as late as the summer” – before signing.

Clowney isn’t the only notable vet willing to wait for the right deal. Former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is also said to be sitting tight, though he’s opening up to the idea of serving as someone’s backup in 2020. Clowney’s situation is different, but he might have to ease his own expectations in terms of salary.

When free agency opened, Clowney was said to be asking for $21MM/year. Weeks later, that ask was reduced to around $17-$18MM per annum. Since then, the Seahawks have pretty much tackled their edge needs with players like Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa. The Titans are said to still have interest in the former No. 1 overall pick; ditto for the Ravens and Eagles. The Browns – long believed to be a frontrunner – are also lurking. Clowney would profile as a potential upgrade over Olivier Vernon, whose contract could be easily wiped from the books.

Clowney didn’t play up to par last year in Seattle as he finished with just three sacks in 13 contests. However, he’s still only 27 and he has 32 career sacks to his credit, not to mention a No. 1 pick pedigree. Eventually, Clowney will find a solid one-year platform opportunity, but it might not come before the end of the month.

Seahawks Unlikely To Re-Sign Jadeveon Clowney

May 6th, 2020 at 4:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Jadeveon Clowney wouldn’t mind returning to the Seahawks, but a reunion doesn’t seem too likely. The defensive end would have to take far less money than what the Seahawks were previously offering him in order to facilitate a return, a league source tells ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson.

Publicly, GM John Schneider hasn’t ruled out the former No. 1 overall pick, though he has hinted that its not in the cards. In early March, Clowney was reportedly asking for $21MM per year. In late March, he dropped his ask to $17-$18MM per year. Now, we’re in May, and most of the NFL’s dollars have dried up. The Seahawks, meanwhile, do not have an offer currently on the table for him.

The Seahawks have already made improvements to the front seven by adding Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa. Mayowa’s one-year deal is reportedly worth $3MM while the figures on Irvin’s contract are not yet known. What we do know is that the Seahawks have less than $20MM in cap space at present and they still have other needs to address. They also found edge help in the draft by selecting outside linebacker Darrell Taylor (second round) and defensive end Alton Robinson (fifth round).

The Browns and Titans have been heavily linked to Clowney and the Eagles and Ravens may have some level of interest in him. At this stage of free agency, he stands as the best available edge rusher on the market, even though he finished 2019 with just three regular season sacks.

Eagles, Ravens Interested In Jadeveon Clowney?

May 6th, 2020 at 8:56am CST by Rory Parks

A number of teams have been connected in some way or another to free agent edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney over the course of the past several months. The Eagles and Ravens are two such teams, but while there was plenty of speculation linking Clowney to those clubs, there were no concrete reports on that front. However, Mark Berman of Fox 26 KRIV may have changed that last night.

Per Berman’s sources, Philadelphia and Baltimore are among the teams expressing interest in Clowney’s services (Twitter link). Of course, the degree of their interest is unclear, and it’s possible that those clubs are simply keeping tabs on Clowney in case he falls into a certain price range or in case something should happen to one of their other pass rushers. Nonetheless, the “addition” of two Super Bowl hopefuls to the market is notable and will certainly be welcomed by Clowney himself.

The Ravens’ edge rushing contingent is headed by the franchise-tagged Matt Judon, but we do not know where the two sides stand in their negotiations of a long-term pact, and Judon has been rumored as a trade candidate. Although Baltimore’s cap space as it presently stands would seem to preclude a Clowney signing without restructuring the contracts of other players, the team could theoretically trade Judon for quality draft capital and allocate his cap charge to Clowney. The Ravens did re-sign Pernell McPhee just yesterday, and while McPhee can certainly be useful as a rotational pass rusher, his presence will hardly stop GM Eric DeCosta from pursuing Clowney if he believes there’s a fit.

Meanwhile, a pass rusher is arguably the Eagles’ biggest remaining need. Philadelphia has enough salary cap room to fit Clowney into the roster this year, but the club has a lot of work to do with respect to its 2021 cap, especially if the cap should decline as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. So any rollover money the Eagles can carry from 2020 into 2021 will be hugely beneficial. On the other hand, if GM Howie Roseman thinks Clowney can help get his team back to the promised land this year, then his 2021 cap situation will not stop him from pulling the trigger.

Berman also notes that the Titans and Browns are very much in the mix for Clowney, though their interest has been well-documented. In addition, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 draft has not ruled out a return to the Seahawks.

“I hope we can work something out if anything happens,” Clowney said. “I did like it up there. … I love all the guys I played with. … I love Seattle. … I love everyone on the coaching staff” (Twitter link via Berman).

Consistent with what we heard last week, Clowney said he is willing to wait to sign until interested clubs can bring him in for a physical. “I know what’s going on in the world,” Clowney said. “It’s a slow process until teams can see me and see what I got and can give me physicals. I’m just waiting on the right opportunity” (Twitter link via Berman).

Those comments were the first Clowney has made publicly since the end of the 2019 season, and he has been working out at a gym in Houston four days a week since undergoing core muscle surgery (Twitter link via Berman). He says he is fully recovered from his injury, but to get the payday he wants, he will likely need to wait until teams can make that determination for themselves.

Titans, Seahawks Still Interested In Jadeveon Clowney

May 1st, 2020 at 9:31am CST by Zachary Links

The Titans and Seahawks are still interested in edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. Clowney’s asking price and sense of urgency haven’t changed either. Despite multiple offers from both clubs, Clowney isn’t close with either team and he isn’t in a rush to put pen to paper.

For now, Clowney’s plan is to wait until the pandemic eases up so that he can take a physical with interested teams, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. A passed (and thorough) physical with team doctors would give Clowney the best payday, he believes, though he could also lose out on available spots and dollars by waiting.

Recently, Seahawks GM John Schneider said he’d still consider the former No. 1 overall pick, though that was before the draft. Then, earlier this week, Jarran Reed caused a bit of a stir when he announced his new jersey number for the 2020 season – No. 90 – Clowney’s number with Seattle last year. For his part, Schneider says that he has not approved any sort of number change, so we can’t really read into Reed’s uni.

“I think you’re buying into it, because I don’t remember approving that yet, so I don’t know,” the GM said (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). “I don’t know where that came from, but yesterday morning it was definitely, something was going on.”

The Titans had roughly $21MM in cap space before the draft, but their frosh will chip away at that figure. Clowney could help bolster their edge rush, though they have already beefed up in that area by signing Vic Beasley.

Clowney, 27, has 32 career sacks to his credit, though he logged just three sacks in 13 games last year.

Jadeveon Clowney Interested In Jets?

April 30th, 2020 at 1:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Linked to several teams during what’s been a much longer free agency process than anticipated, Jadeveon Clowney may still be interested in a New York agreement. Weeks after he was believed to be open to a Giants deal, the free agent edge defender would give the Jets a good chance — if they were interested in signing him, Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com notes.

Regarding the Jets’ potential interest, Pauline writes they are “fishing around” the former No. 1 overall pick, adding that a big-market team like the Jets intrigues Clowney. The Jets re-signed Jordan Jenkins in March and drafted an edge player in the third round (Florida’s Jabari Zuniga), but this still should be considered a need position.

With the deadline for 2020 free agent signings to count toward the 2021 compensatory formula passing earlier this week, Clowney would have a better chance of landing somewhere. But teams are still in a holding pattern of sorts with certain free agents — with the COVID-19 pandemic preventing them from having their medical personnel examine them.

Titans GM Jon Robinson said he would like to have his team’s medical staff clear Clowney before agreeing to terms (Twitter link via TitanInsider.com’s Terry McCormick). Clowney has dealt with persistent knee issues and battled a core muscle injury last season.

Clowney has been linked to the Seahawks, Titans and Browns this month. But no steam has picked up on a deal with any of these teams since the draft. The Jets hold just more than $18MM in cap space. Among potential Clowney suitors, the Browns’ NFL-leading $38MM-plus in cap room would give them the edge. Though, Clowney lowered his asking price weeks ago. He may have to accept a one-year deal and try his luck at free agency again next year.

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