Jadeveon Clowney - Pro Football Rumors

No Decision Yet For Jadeveon Clowney

September 5th, 2020 at 6:54pm CST by Zachary Links

While some reports have connected Jadeveon Clowney to the Titans, the free agent edge rusher says that he has “still not made a decision,” (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson). Clowney says “teams are still calling,” making it clear that he’s still weighing opportunities from multiple teams.

The Saints and Titans have emerged as the frontrunners for the former No. 1 overall pick, but the Ravens and incumbent Seahawks are said to still be lurking. For months, the Titans have stood as one of Clowney’s most logical landing spots. With a clear need at DE, old pal Mike Vrabel patrolling the sidelines, and more cap flexibility than most clubs, the Titans make tons of sense. Still, they’re far from the only contender who could use more pressure against the pass.

Interestingly, Clowney has canned agent Bus Cook, just as he did over Labor Day Weekend 2019. Eventually, they worked out their differences and went back into business together. It remains to be seen whether another reunion will take place or if this will signal a return tour in Seattle.

Clowney’s sliding asking price has been well documented at this point. After asking for ~$20MM/year in March, Clowney has reportedly scaled things back to the $17MM/year neighborhood. The Browns tried to sign him for $15MM earlier this year, but the 27-year-old quickly rejected the offer.

Seahawks, Ravens Still In Mix For Jadeveon Clowney?

September 5th, 2020 at 4:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

4:34pm: Clowney has not closed the door on a Seattle return yet. While the Saints and Titans are leading the way at this point, the Seahawks sit third on the former No. 1 overall pick’s list, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The Seahawks were believed to have offered Clowney a deal worth around $15MM earlier this year, but as of late, the team is not believed to want to pay up for the standout defender.

3:34pm: Conflicting reports regarding the Ravens’ interest have surfaced. They are not, as of now, pursuing Clowney, according to Pro Football Talk. John Harbaugh did offer a vague statement Saturday indicating the team would have interest in a player of Clowney’s caliber, however (Twitter link via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley).

2:38pm: The Saints and Titans have emerged as the frontrunners for Jadeveon Clowney. Both teams have made strong pitches to sign the three-time Pro Bowler. But they are not the only teams pursuing him.

The Ravens loom as a wild card in this mix, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. While Baltimore has been linked to Clowney at multiple points this offseason, the reigning AFC North champions have not been viewed as aggressive suitors. However, the team still being in pursuit at this juncture is certainly notable.

A serious Ravens push for Clowney transpired a few weeks ago, per Fowler, who notes the Seahawks are not completely out of the running. However, they view their 2019 starter’s asking price as too high and are more in the monitoring stage at present.

Baltimore franchise-tagged Matt Judon and added defensive linemen Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe this offseason. But the Ravens relied extensively on blitzes for pressure last year and could use a bookend opposite Judon.

Latest On Jadeveon Clowney

September 5th, 2020 at 9:24am CST by Ben Levine

As Jadeveon Clowney zeroes in on his next gig, he’s let go of his agent. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the defensive end has fired agent Bus Cook.

Does this sound familiar? Last year during Labor Day Weekend, Clowney fired Cook as his agent. The two ended up reconciling, and the franchise-tagged pass rusher was later traded from the Texans to the Seahawks. It sounds like there won’t be another reunion, however, as Clowney is expected to “eventually hire” Kennard McGuire for representation.

Meanwhile, as Clowney continues his free agency tour, Florio reports that the Saints brass visited the player in Houston. An image on Instagram showed Clowney posing with head coach Sean Payton, and the message indicated that two other Saints coaches attended the meeting. For what it’s worth, Clowney subsequently “liked” that post, which was posted by a chef at a restaurant.

We learned yesterday that Clowney could end up waiting until next week to sign a contract. By waiting for the roster deadline to pass, the veteran could find that suitors are operating with more financial flexibility. The Saints and Titans currently have offers out to Clowney, setting the stage for a high-priced bidding war. The Ravens have also been mentioned as a potential suitor.

Jadeveon Clowney To Wait Until Next Week To Sign?

September 4th, 2020 at 3:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Business is starting to pick up for Jadeveon Clowney, but he won’t necessarily rush to sign his next NFL deal. The defensive end’s camp has advised him to wait for Saturday’s roster deadline to pass before signing, Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com tweets.

By waiting, Clowney could tap into a larger pool of available dollars. He may also see one or two new unexpected suitors, if a projected starter gets dropped between now and Saturday afternoon. Of course, it’s a double-edged sword – the waiting game could actually hurt him if another valuable veteran joins him on the open market.

The Saints and Titans have offers out to Clowney, setting the stage for a high-priced bidding war. Both teams want the former No. 1 overall pick to sign by Monday, but he’ll ultimately dictate the timetable. Clowney, 27, will need to go through the necessary COVID-19 protocols before joining his future teammates.

The Ravens may also get involved, though the finances are a bit tricky. In terms of cap space, the Titans are in the best position of any known suitor with $22MM+ available. The Saints, meanwhile, will have to work some magic – they’ve got less than $7MM in spendable dollars.

Saints, Titans Pushing To Sign Jadeveon Clowney

September 4th, 2020 at 11:33am CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans look to have company in their pursuit of Jadeveon Clowney. The Saints are now be in the mix, with ESPN.com’s Dianna Russini reporting both New Orleans and Tennessee are making strong pushes to sign the Pro Bowl pass rusher (Twitter link).

Clowney has listed New Orleans as a place he would like to land, while Tennessee has been one of the teams most closely linked to the former No. 1 overall pick this year. On Friday, head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed that the Titans have an offer out to the edge rusher, though he declined to go into further detail (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of the team website). Add the Jaguars to the mix as well, per Russini (on Twitter). While Pete Carroll did rule out a Clowney signing, Russini adds the Seahawks still view Clowney’s price tag as too high.

This could mean a high-stakes bidding war for the Titans, who have monitored Clowney for months. But the Saints are throwing an all-out attack at Clowney, per Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who note Sean Payton has spoken to the free agent defender multiple times about a deal (Twitter link).

Both teams want Clowney under contract by Monday, Russini adds, noting Titans and Saints players and coaches are acting accordingly by attempting to persuade the former No. 1 overall pick (Twitter link). This would put him in position to clear COVID-19 protocols and be in uniform for Week 1. This now makes two straight years the 27-year-old talent has skipped training camp.

The Titans hold $22MM-plus in cap space; the Saints possess less than $7MM. However, New Orleans has approached multiple veterans about restructuring to free up room, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

While two unnamed teams remain in the Clowney mix, per NFL.com, the Saints entering the equation would be significant given Clowney’s previous interest and the team’s status as a Super Bowl frontrunner. The Saints have added Emmanuel Sanders and Malcolm Jenkins to a roster that already stood as one of the NFL’s best. Clowney would join a defensive front that already houses All-Pro Cameron Jordan and former first-round pick Marcus Davenport.

It is unclear if Clowney has dropped his price at the 11th hour, but that would make sense given the apparent acceleration of his market. The former Texans and Seahawks edge player sought a $20MM-per-year deal, then lowered it later in the spring. The Browns and Seahawks offered Clowney deals in the $15MM-AAV ballpark. The Ravens and Raiders have also been mentioned as Clowney suitors as well. The Browns redid Olivier Vernon‘s deal over the summer and have not been viewed as strong Clowney pursuers since.

The Titans may be growing frustrated with the three-time Pro Bowler, who apparently has been difficult to pin down recently. He would join Harold Landry and the recently signed Vic Beasley in Tennessee. The Seahawks would seemingly need Clowney most, but they have stood pat with lower-profile edge rushers all offseason. However, Seattle waited until roster cutdown day to reform their pass rush around Clowney last year. Regarding Jacksonville, Clowney may not be especially interested given his rebuffing of a trade to rebuilding Miami last year.

Titans Frustrated With Jadeveon Clowney

September 3rd, 2020 at 1:05pm CST by Rory Parks

A recent report indicated that the Ravens may be the frontrunners for free agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, but the Titans — who, unlike the Ravens, actually offered Clowney a contract earlier this year — continue to lurk.

Tennessee GM Jon Robinson said back in July that he was still monitoring the Clowney situation, but he wanted to get the former No. 1 overall pick in the Titans’ facility for a physical. So while Robinson may have been willing to bring Clowney in on a fairly low-risk deal without a medical examination, he needs to be assured that Clowney is in good health if he is going to authorize a significant contract.

However, it seems that Clowney has been hard to pin down. In an interview with 102.5 The Game this morning, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports said that the Titans are frustrated with the “lack of engagement” on Clowney’s part (h/t Joe Rexrode of The Athletic on Twitter). Tennessee still wants to bring him in for a physical, but for reasons that are presently unclear, Clowney — who has posted videos to social media suggesting that he is fully healthy — appears reluctant.

Robinson goes on to say that the Titans or Seahawks, not the Ravens, will be the team to land Clowney. In either case, he will sign a contract worth around $12MM per year, a far cry from the $20MM that he was shooting for at the outset of free agency.

The Titans have always looked like a good fit given the presence of head coach Mike Vrabel — the Texans’ LB coach and defensive coordinator during Clowney’s first four years in Houston — and given the club’s need for another pass rusher. The team did take a flier on Vic Beasley and will return Harold Landry, who posted nine sacks in a promising sophomore effort in 2019, but Clowney could provide a major boost to the Titans’ defensive front.

Ravens Frontrunners To Sign Jadeveon Clowney?

August 28th, 2020 at 9:35am CST by Rory Parks

The Ravens find themselves with a bit of surprise salary cap room following the release of safety Earl Thomas earlier this week. Baltimore is attempting to void Thomas’ guaranteed 2020 salary of $10MM pursuant to the personal conduct provision of his contract, so the club will temporarily pick up an extra $10MM of cap space.

As Joel Corry of CBS Sports details, that number will drop to $6MM once Thomas files his inevitable grievance, and $4MM will become a cap charge under the terms of the CBA. If Thomas prevails in the grievance, the $6MM of newfound space will of course be added back to the Ravens’ books, and if the team prevails, it will be credited back the $4MM hold.

But the grievance may not be resolved until 2021, so it’s looking as if the Ravens will indeed have another $6MM to play with this year. And while the expected salary cap decrease in 2021 and the upcoming fight with the union over Thomas’ salary could make Baltimore hesitant to spend that money, the club currently profiles as a Super Bowl favorite, so it might make sense to add another piece that can aid in the push for a Lomabrdi Trophy. Plus, Thomas did have offset language in his contract, so if and when he signs with another club, Baltimore will get at least some cap relief regardless of how the grievance process unfolds.

Enter Jadeveon Clowney. The most-discussed free agent of the 2020 offseason is still without a home, and while the Ravens have been loosely connected to him over the past few months, his salary demands have been viewed as an insurmountable obstacle. However, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network said in a recent podcast that league insiders believe Clowney will ultimately land with Baltimore (via Cole Thompson of Pro Football Network).

As Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic points out, the Ravens have monitored Clowney’s market, but even when accounting for an extra $6MM of cap space, the club has just $13MM to work with and will want to keep about half of that in reserve. So if Clowney is to end up in the Purple-and-Black, it will be for a salary in the $6-7MM range — which feels like an absolute non-starter for him — or the team will need to get creative.

Clowney does make plenty of sense for Baltimore. The team has beefed up its defensive front this offseason but could still use another proven pass rusher behind Matt Judon, and Clowney’s skills against the run would make him a valuable chess piece in DC Wink Martindale‘s creative schemes. The team has also expressed interest in Ziggy Ansah, who is a more one-dimensional player but who would come much cheaper than Clowney.

Interestingly, Pauline says the division-rival Steelers have also been sniffing around Clowney, but Pittsburgh has even less cap space than Baltimore and would likely need to trade Bud Dupree to make a Clowney deal work.

Latest On Seahawks’ Pass Rush

August 13th, 2020 at 11:38am CST by Rory Parks

For months now, the Seahawks have been connected to two of the highest-profile edge defenders on this year’s free agent market, Jadeveon Clowney and Everson Griffen. They were reportedly in on the Griffen sweepstakes, but the longtime Vikings DE opted to sign with the Cowboys, so Seattle is still on the hunt for an experienced pass rusher.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that the team does have interest in Clay Matthews, who posted six sacks in the first five games of the 2019 season — his first and only year with the Rams — but who suffered a broken jaw in October that derailed his season. Matthews is not as productive as Clowney or Griffen at this stage of his career, but he could still be serviceable as a rotational piece.

However, Rapoport believes the club may circle back to Clowney. The first overall pick of the 2014 draft has had a frustrating offseason, as he did not get offers anywhere close to the $20MM AAV he was seeking, and perhaps his most aggressive suitor, the Browns, now appear to be out of the mix. Rapoport says Clowney has not closed the door on the Seahawks, and the last we heard, the Seahawks had not closed the door on him, so a reunion could still be in the cards.

That is especially true given that the team’s second-round pick, DE Darrell Taylor, is still on the team’s NFI list. Taylor played his final collegiate season at Tennessee with a stress fracture in his shin, and after the season was over, he underwent surgery to have a titanium rod inserted in his leg. His recovery is reportedly going well, but as Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk writes, Taylor may be sidelined for another few weeks.

While the Seahawks did add Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa this offseason, bringing back Clowney makes a lot of sense. His first year in the Emerald City could have gone better, but his upside remains sky-high, and at this point, Seattle might be able to get him for something of a bargain.

Jets Have No Interest In Jadeveon Clowney

August 1st, 2020 at 9:19am CST by Zachary Links

New Jets safety Bradley McDougald says he’s love to have former teammate Jadeveon Clowney join him in New Jersey. Unfortunately for the ex-Seahawks, the Jets aren’t interested in reuniting them, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

This isn’t the first time that the Jets have been linked to the former No. 1 overall pick. In April, Clowney indicated that he’d like to join up with Gang Green. The Jets have yet to reciprocate those warm feelings, even though they could certainly use an upgrade on the edge.

One could argue that the Jets have even bigger fish to fry than the edge rush unit, including their cornerback situation. They could have enough cap space to sign Clowney and address their other holes, but Jets ownership reportedly asked GM Joe Douglas to tamp down costs earlier this year. That mandate came before the pandemic, so there’s even less wiggle room for Douglas to work with now. The trade that brought McDougald to the Jets and shipped star Jamal Adams to the Seahawks further underscores their approach to spending.

Clowney’s asking price has dropped since the start of free agency, and it could fall a bit further as September draws near. Still, the Jets have no plans to get involved. As it stands, the Jets project to start Quinnen Williams and Henry Anderson on the bookends with Harvey Langi and Jordan Jenkins at the outside linebacker spots.

Jets Notes: Adams, Johnson, Clowney, Long

July 28th, 2020 at 4:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Douglas confirmed the Jets had trade talks with several teams regarding Jamal Adams but categorized the sweepstakes-winning Seahawks as the most aggressive suitor. The Jets and Seahawks began talking weeks ago, and Seattle’s two-first-rounders-and-change offer swayed Douglas from planning not to trade his All-Pro safety to pulling the trigger (Twitter links via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano). Adams lobbed salvos at Douglas and Adam Gase, and when Douglas listened to offers for the decorated defender at last year’s trade deadline, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link) Adams reached out to several Cowboys players to inform them of his interest in going to Dallas. This irked Jets teammates, coaches and team brass. While Douglas said he wanted to make Adams a Jet for life earlier this year, the second-year GM said this week he never promised him a contract, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).

Here is the latest coming out of Jets headquarters:

Although the 49ers have made some big trades under their current power structure, John Lynch said they did not call the Jets about Adams, via NBC Sports Bay Area. However, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reported (via Twitter) involved parties believed the Cowboys and 49ers were both involved in talks with the Jets for Adams. The 49ers, who joined the Cowboys on Adams’ list of preferred destinations, re-signed Jimmie Ward this offseason and have starter Jaquiski Tartt back as well.
New Jets safety Bradley McDougald said Jadeveon Clowney remains interested in a deal (Twitter link). The former No. 1 overall pick expressed Jets interest in April as well. The Jets were linked to Clowney in March but, despite an apparent need for pass-rushing help, are not believed to be interested in the three-time Pro Bowler. Adams finished as Gang Green’s second-leading sacker in 2019.
Douglas convinced Ryan Kalil to unretire and become the Jets’ starting center last season, so reports of him being in talks with recently retired guard Kyle Long earlier this year carried a bit more weight. But Douglas said those talks were merely friends catching up. Douglas spent 2015 in the Bears’ front office prior to leaving for Philadelphia. That said, Mehta notes the two indeed discussed Long unretiring. The Jets re-signed Alex Lewis and added Greg Van Roten to a guard group that includes longtime starter Brian Winters.
Amid larger headlines involving current U.S. ambassador to Great Britain Woody Johnson, the Jets owner was reported by CNN to have made racist and sexist comments during his time as an ambassador. Johnson has denied the allegations, which prompted a State Department investigation. Following the report, however, acting Jets owner Christopher Johnson called almost every player on Gang Green’s roster to listen to their concerns, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes.