Jadeveon Clowney‘s first season in Cleveland has been mostly a success, and the former first-overall pick will consider a long-term pact with the Browns when he hits free agency this upcoming offseason.

“I would, but we haven’t talked about anything right now,” Clowney said yesterday (via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal). “Still finishing the season. Got a lot of guys on this team that’s on a one-year deal that might be heading back or don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but right now, it’s just all about the next game and trying to get through the season and doing what I can do for the team right now.”

As Ulrich notes, the Browns had courted Clowney for a few years, and they finally landed the defender on a one-year deal worth up to $10MM back in April. Following a 2020 campaign that saw him finish with zero sacks in eight games with the Titans, Clowney has rehabilitated his pass-rushing image in 2021. In 12 games (12 starts) this season, the 28-year-old has collected five sacks, 15 QB hits, and 29 tackles.

While Clowney is still unsure of his future, the veteran can count on one thing: teammate Myles Garrett will definitely try to convince him to stay.

“I’ll try, but you never know,” Garrett. “Guys have their own agendas and want to be in certain places. I can’t help it if a guy wants to be in Miami, he likes the weather there more, he likes to be by the water.

Jadeveon Clowney has always been extremely talented, but he’s often struggled with injuries since getting drafted first overall by the Texans back in 2014.

Last season Clowney waited a long time to sign with the Titans, eventually inking a one-year, $13MM pact with them. He had a very disappointing season in Tennessee as injuries limited him to eight games (and zero sacks) before he shut it down to have knee surgery. Clowney signed with the Browns in April, and the team was apparently at least a little concerned about the knee since it was reported they wanted to see him pass a physical before giving him his contract.

Fortunately, it appears all is well so far. Clowney is “already showing that he’s healthy again” and “exploded off the line” at recent Browns minicamp practices, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com writes. “I’ve been training extremely hard this offseason, so I kind of already have a feel of where I was coming here,” Clowney said.

“I felt great coming in, and I feel great now.” That’s good news, since the Browns are counting on him to help replace Olivier Vernon‘s nine sacks from last year and form an elite edge duo opposite Myles Garrett.

Cleveland sought to protect themselves a little bit by giving Clowney a one-year deal worth “up to” $10MM. We learned that it has a base value of $7MM with another $3MM available. He’ll earn $1MM of that just by staying healthy in per-game active roster bonuses, and another $2MM through playing time and sack bonuses.

Six months after having surgery for the torn meniscus, it appears Clowney is back to full strength (for now).

We learned yesterday that Jadeveon Clowney would be joining the Browns on a one-year, $10MM deal, and we’ve now got details on the new pact. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the deal includes a $4.5MM signing bonus and a fully guaranteed base salary worth $2.5MM.

[RELATED: Browns To Sign Jadeveon Clowney]

The deal also includes $1MM in 46-man roster bonuses and $2MM in incentives (including $1MM in playing time bonuses and $1MM in sacks bonuses), making the deal effectively a one-year, $8MM deal that could be worth up to $10MM. Interestingly, the deal is technically a five-year pact, but that ultimately voids to a one-year pact for cap purposes.

Clowney didn’t necessarily have a robust market following an underwhelming season with the Titans that saw him collect 19 tackles and zero sacks in eight games; the Browns were one of three teams (along with the Colts and Ravens) who were connected to the former first-overall pick. While Clowney denied Cleveland last offseason, the team’s pursuit was successful this time around. The 28-year-old told NFL.com’s Nick Shook that the team’s continued interest (along with the money) ultimately changed his tune.

Evidently keen on cramming his months-long 2020 free agency saga into a three-day period this year, Jadeveon Clowney remains on track to visit the Browns. After a travel snag, the former No. 1 overall pick is scheduled to arrive in Cleveland on Tuesday night, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.

Clowney is scheduled to take a Browns physical Wednesday and meet with team brass again. While the veteran pass rusher has experienced health issues for much of his career, Cabot adds he is expected to pass. Although contract details must be finalized, Cabot notes “all signs point to” the seven-year veteran edge defender signing with the Browns.

Clowney has received interest from the Colts and Ravens as well, and a report earlier Monday indicated nothing was imminent on the Clowney-to-Cleveland front. Baltimore was in the muddled mix for the three-time Pro Bowler last year as well. But the Browns offered him the most money last year. Clowney was lukewarm on Cleveland in 2020. By heading back to northeast Ohio on a second visit in three weeks, the former Texans, Seahawks and Titans edge appears to have changed his tune.

It is unclear how serious the Ravens and Colts are, but a multi-team market will benefit Clowney. However, he almost certainly will not receive what he could have from the Browns last year. And he will fall short of the one-year, $13MM Titans pact he inked as well. Should the Browns sign Clowney, he will likely again have to settle for a one-year deal, Cabot adds. The torn meniscus that ended Clowney’s 2020 season is not expected to be an issue with his next team. The 28-year-old defender is expected to receive full clearance this month.

Clowney would join Takk McKinley as former first-round picks tabbed to complement Myles Garrett. Olivier Vernon is a free agent, and the Browns released Adrian Clayborn. They entered the offseason with a clear goal of adding a proven bookend for Garrett. Clowney has flashed as a pass rusher and has been a high-end run defender, among edge players, despite his injury troubles. Playing opposite Garrett (and staying healthy) would put Clowney in a favorable situation to command a long-sought-after multiyear contract down the road.

Last night, we heard that the Browns were hoping to host Jadeveon Clowney for a second time today, and that a deal was looking likely. We may need to pump the brakes there just a little bit.

Cleveland is going to host Clowney on Wednesday now, and “nothing is imminent” on the contract front, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports (Twitter video link). We heard this morning that the Ravens and Colts are also pursuing the edge rusher, so they’ve got competition. Interestingly, Rapsheet says that the Browns want to see Clowney pass a physical on Wednesday. They’re apparently at least a bit concerned about the former first overall pick’s knee.

Clowney who has had multiple knee injuries in his career, is coming off surgery for a torn meniscus that limited him to just eight games with the Titans in 2020. Cleveland has made finding an edge rusher to pair opposite Myles Garrett, and replace Olivier Vernon, a priority this offseason.

They were in on J.J. Watt, and signed fellow former first-rounder Takkarist McKinley. It appeared a Clowney signing was likely to happen to day, but now it looks like we’re going to have to wait at least a couple of days.

Clowney waited until the first week of September to sign last year, so this is actually an expedited process for him. 2020 was somewhat of a lost season, as he finished with no sacks in that injury-plagued half campaign.