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Jadeveon Clowney

Top Edge Rushers Still Available

July 3rd, 2020 at 11:20am CST by Rory Parks

Putting pressure on the opposing quarterback is critical to a team’s success in today’s NFL, and there are a number of players still languishing on the free agent market who are capable of doing just that. While the pandemic has understandably made teams leery of authorizing big-money contracts, some of the available talent can be had for a fairly minimal commitment, and it would not be surprising to see them come off the board as we get closer (hopefully) to training camp.

So let’s take a look at the best of the unsigned pass rushers.

  1. Jadeveon Clowney: Not many players have been in the news more than Clowney this offseason. By now, everyone knows that Clowney was seeking a multi-year deal with an AAV of at least $20MM when free agency opened, but he has had to modify his demands in a big way. The Browns are believed to have two offers on the table: a one-year pact worth $15MM, and a multi-year contract worth around $12MM/year. Cleveland does not seem to be high on Clowney’s list of preferred destinations, but the club does have the makings of a postseason contender. It will be interesting to see if another team tries to top the Browns’ proposals to land a potentially game-changing talent.
  2. Everson Griffen: Back in May, Griffen was rated as our No. 3 best available free agent, and he would be the No. 2 talent on that list today now that Cam Newton has signed with the Patriots. Shortly after the list was published, we heard that the Cardinals may be interested, but nothing has transpired on the Griffen front in the last six weeks. The 32-year-old showed that he still has plenty left in the tank after registering eight sacks in 2019, and the fact that he is still unsigned may indicate that his contract demands are too high right now.
  3. Ezekiel Ansah: The Seahawks paired Clowney with Ansah in 2019 with the hopes of creating a true two-headed pass-rushing monster. That did not exactly work out as planned, as Clowney managed just three sacks and Ansah posted 2.5 while playing in 11 games. Ansah just couldn’t regain the form that he displayed during his best years with the Lions, and it certainly seems as if he does not have another double-digit sack campaign in him. Still, he is another year removed from the shoulder injury that marred his 2018 season and delayed his 2019 debut, so he will surely get a chance to be a part of someone’s pass rush rotation in 2020.
  4. Michael Bennett: Bennett wants to play in 2020, but thus far, it doesn’t sound as if there has been much interest in his services. The three-time Pro Bowler enjoyed a nine-sack effort with the Eagles in 2018, but he was traded to the Patriots in March 2019 and clashed with New England brass. In October, the Pats shipped him to the Cowboys, for whom he posted four sacks in nine games. In total, he collected 6.5 sacks last year while playing fewer snaps than he is accustomed to. He may very well start to attract more interest once camp gets underway.
  5. Markus Golden: No one other than the incumbent Giants has expressed interest in Golden since free agency began, and it seems like the 29-year-old will be back with Big Blue in 2020. The Giants put the rarely-used UFA tender on him, which means that he will only be eligible to play for New York if he does not sign another offer prior to the start of training camp (presently scheduled for July 28). Though Golden posted 10 sacks in 2019, he did so off of just 26 pressures, which teams likely see as an unsustainable conversion rate. The UFA tender would pay Golden $4.125MM this season.
  6. Jabaal Sheard: Sheard has never quite lived up to his potential as a game-changing pass rusher, and the 8.5 sacks he totaled in his rookie season in 2011 remain a career high. But he has averaged over five sacks per season over the course of a mostly-durable nine-year career, and he still looks the part of a starting DE. Fresh off a reasonably productive three-year stint with the Colts, Sheard has not yet been connected to any club this offseason.
  7. Clay Matthews: Matthews opened the 2019 campaign with his hair on fire, posting six sacks in the first five games of the season. It appeared that the two-year, $16.75MM contract the Rams gave to the longtime Packer in March 2019 was going to pay off in a big way, but Matthews suffered a broken jaw in October that derailed his season. He picked up two more sacks the rest of the way, and LA cut ties with him earlier this year. There have been no public reports of interest in the 34-year-old, but he could be a valuable veteran presence if deployed in the right way.
  8. Vinny Curry: Curry has always been a situational pass rusher. Even when he started all 16 regular-season games for the Eagles in 2017, he played in just over half of the club’s defensive snaps. His one year in Tampa Bay in 2018 was not a smashing success, but he returned to Philadelphia in 2019 to reprise his role as a player who can come in on passing downs and who represents a legitimate threat to get to the quarterback. The Jets were said to be interested in him in March, and Gang Green could still use pass rushing help, but the two sides have not yet come together on an agreement.
  9. Terrell Suggs: Suggs’ career accomplishments stand head and shoulders above those of most everyone else on this list. The former Defensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and seven-time Pro Bowler has 139 career sacks to his credit, but he finally started to slow down in 2018, his final year in Baltimore, and he looked the part of an aging defender during his 13-game stint with the Cardinals in 2019. Arizona cut him late last season and he was scooped up by the Chiefs, which allowed him to collect his second Super Bowl ring. It’s unclear if T-Sizzle has any interest in continuing his playing career, but he has nothing left to prove.
  10. Cameron Wake: Another player that would be higher on this list if not for his age, Wake was released by the Titans in March. The 38-year-old has said he wants to keep playing, but after a terrific run with the Dolphins from 2009-18, Wake’s one year with Tennessee did not go according to plan. He registered just two sacks in nine games and missed the final stretch of the season with a back injury. He might well be healthy now, but we are unaware of any teams with interest at this point.

Browns Still In Mix For Jadeveon Clowney

June 30th, 2020 at 5:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Closing in on four months as a free agent, Jadeveon Clowney continues to survey his options. He wants to sign before the season starts, veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson tweets, but the three-time Pro Bowler’s options remain open.

The team most closely connected to Clowney in recent weeks has not given up its pursuit. The Browns have made multiple offers to the former No. 1 overall pick. Both are still on the table, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports. Cleveland is believed to have submitted a one-year offer in the $15MM ballpark, and Cabot adds the team’s multiyear proposal is at or near the top of the list.

Clowney could be using the Browns as leverage, hoping one of the teams he would like to play for bites. He has been linked to being open to playing for both New York teams, and the Cowboys and Saints have entered the equation as teams for which the talented edge defender would prefer to play. As for the Browns, Cabot notes they are not first on Clowney’s list. That said, the veteran Cleveland reporter adds he has not shut the door on a Browns deal either.

At the same time, the Browns are not aggressively pursuing Clowney. They have been discussing a Myles Garrett extension, and those talks can easily lead to Clowney dialogue due to agent Bus Cook representing both pass rushers.

While nothing of note has come from the teams Clowney may be eager to sign with, the Browns, Seahawks, Titans and Eagles have been mentioned as interested parties. Of the non-Browns suitor contingent, the Seahawks may be the most amenable to anteing up. Clowney dropped his price off the $20MM-per-year point early in the offseason, but he continues to wait. So does Olivier Vernon, who looms as a potential hard-luck cap casualty if the Browns land Clowney. The Browns are set to pay Vernon a non-guaranteed $15.25MM base salary this season.

Jadeveon Clowney Eyeing Cowboys, Saints?

June 29th, 2020 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

Jadeveon Clowney would be equally happy to join a contender on a one-year deal or a middling club on a multi-year deal, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network hears. Specifically, he’d like to land with one of two contenders – the Cowboys or the Saints.

[RELATED: Clowney’s Best Multi-Year Offer Came From Browns]

It’s not clear whether the Saints or Cowboys have reciprocated that interest. The three-time Pro Bowler would represent a classic Jerry Jones splash, but they already have $20MM/year committed to DeMarcus Lawrence. The Saints are also short on cap space, and they don’t necessarily need Clowney. With Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport, and Trey Hendrickson on the edge, there’s little reason for the Saints to shell out the kind of money that Clowney is seeking.

The Browns put a multi-year offer on the table for Clowney, one that is believed to be in the range of $12MM/year. The Browns are reportedly willing to move their offer up to somewhere around $15MM/year, but that’s still a step back from the ~$17MM Clowney was looking for in March. Reading between the lines, it sounds like a winning club could have Clowney on a one-year deal worth roughly $15MM, but that’s likely too rich for his two preferred teams.

Last year, Clowney registered just three sacks with the Seahawks. That was the lowest healthy-season total of his pro career.

Jadeveon Clowney’s Best Multi-Year Offer Came From Browns

June 18th, 2020 at 8:18pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns’ offer wasn’t good enough for Jadeveon Clowney, but it’s the best multi-year opportunity he’s gotten, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The Browns’ proposal was previously estimated to be somewhere in the range of $12MM/year.

[RELATED: Browns Willing To Increase Offer To Jadeveon Clowney?]

Earlier this week, we heard that the Browns would be willing to move their offer up to somewhere around $15MM/year. It’s not clear whether they’d be open to giving him that kind of money over multiple seasons or just for 2020, however.

The Browns have nearly $40MM in cap space, plenty of cash for summer upgrades. Besides, any deal for Clowney worth $15MM or less could be offset by the release of Olivier Vernon, who is due $15.25MM in non-guaranteed cash this year.

Clowney could effectively come as a package with a Myles Garrett extension. Both defensive ends are represented by Bus Cook, who is presently working to make Garrett the highest-paid DE in league history.

The Seahawks haven’t ruled out a reunion with Clowney either, but they’re limited by their cap situation. With just ~$14MM in spare room, they’ll have to get creative – and convincing – to bring the former No. 1 overall pick back to Seattle. For what it’s worth, they offered Clowney a ~$15MM deal earlier in the offseason, before they allocated most of their money elsewhere.

Browns Willing To Increase Offer To Jadeveon Clowney?

June 15th, 2020 at 4:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns continue to put in work on the Jadeveon Clowney front. In addition to the team talking with Clowney’s agent — amid Myles Garrett extension talks, with Bus Cook representing both players — it appears the Browns would be willing to increase their offer.

Cleveland’s previous offer to Clowney came in around the $12MM-per-year range. The Browns would sign off on paying the former No. 1 overall pick in the $15MM neighborhood on a one-year deal, Albert Breer of SI.com notes.

Clowney is believed to have received an offer around $15MM AAV from the Seahawks. The three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher dropped his asking price from around $20MM per year to the $17-$18MM-AAV range early in free agency but has remained on the market for several weeks since.

As of Monday, the Browns hold an NFL-most $37MM in cap space — well north of the Seahawks’ $13.9MM — and could outmuscle the Hawks for Clowney if they chose to. The Browns have been connected to Clowney for over two months. Should the Browns land Clowney, they would likely create more cap space by parting ways with Olivier Vernon. The latter is set to earn a Browns-most $15.25MM in 2020 base salary, which is currently non-guaranteed.

While a $15MM payment would be almost a middle-class edge rusher deal this year, with 17 edge defenders earning that on average, a one-year deal would allow Clowney a chance to re-enter the market at 28 during what could well be a more normal 2021 offseason.

Latest On Browns, Jadeveon Clowney

June 14th, 2020 at 7:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Jadeveon Clowney wasn’t interested in Cleveland’s last contract offer, but the Browns haven’t given up on signing the former No. 1 overall pick, as Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer writes. They’re already in contact with Clowney’s agent Bus Cook as they negotiate an extension for Myles Garrett, which could help to facilitate a deal. 

[RELATED: Browns Offered Jadeveon Clowney $12MM/Year?]

The Browns’ offer was believed to be somewhere in the $12MM range, a far cry from the $20MM Clowney was said to be seeking when free agency opened. At some point in March, Clowney scaled back his expectations to $17-$18MM per year, but no one was willing to get into that territory. His highest reported offer came from the Seahawks, who pitched him on a one-year, $15MM pact to return. The Seahawks are also keeping the door open – at least slightly – but that deal is not believed to be on the table at present.

Between Garrett and Olivier Vernon, the Browns are pretty well set at defensive end. Still, Clowney could offer greater upside than Vernon, who finished out with just 3.5 sacks in his first year with Cleveland. Vernon is currently set to earn $15.25MM in 2020, but his salary is completely non-guaranteed. If the Browns keep him, it’s likely that they’ll ask him to adjust his invoice. The Browns could also easily shed him and replace him with Clowney, who notched 24.5 sacks and three Pro Bowl trips between 2016 and 2018.

In the interest of equal time – Clowney didn’t offer much in the way of sacks last year, either. Clowney had just three with Seattle, his lowest showing of any healthy season.

Seahawks Notes: Hyde, Dunbar, Clowney

June 13th, 2020 at 2:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a quick look at the latest from Seattle:

Latest On Titans’, Browns’ Pursuit Of Jadeveon Clowney

June 12th, 2020 at 12:39pm CST by Rory Parks

Nothing like another Jadeveon Clowney story to ring in the weekend. The former No. 1 overall pick remains unsigned, with the Titans, Browns, and — perhaps to a lesser extent — Seahawks representing the most likely landing spots.

The Titans have reportedly made multiple offers to Clowney, but obviously those offers were unappealing to a player who was said to be seeking a lucrative multi-year pact worth around $20MM per year when the offseason began. Tennessee GM Jon Robinson had previously acknowledged that he discussed a contract with Clowney’s camp, but there have been no talks between the two sides for awhile.

In a conference call with reporters yesterday, Robinson said, “No conversations of recent. I think we’re going to continue to monitor it and see where [it goes]. I’ve seen what you guys have seen that’s been posted on social media. I know he wants to play. I think we would be a pretty good fit for him, and there was some mutual interest there when we started the discussion, but I would say that really hasn’t grown any legs since we spoke last” (h/t Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk).

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.

As for the Browns, we last heard that they recently floated an offer that would have paid Clowney $12MM/year in base salary, but in the story linked above, Williams cites a report indicating that Cleveland has also put forth a one-year, $18MM proposal. It’s unclear if that’s accurate or a typo, as Williams may simply have intended to reference the $12MM/year report. If Cleveland really did offer one year at $18MM, roughly the amount that Clowney would have made if Seattle had been willing and able to use the franchise tag, he should probably snap it up.

For his part, though, Clowney has said he is willing to be patient and does not feel rushed to sign before teams have the opportunity to look at him in person and evaluate his medicals. Given the gradual return to normalcy throughout the country, that may happen sooner rather than later.

Seahawks Offered Jadeveon Clowney $15MM/Year?

June 10th, 2020 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

At one point in negotiations, the Seahawks offered Jadeveon Clowney a one-year, $15MM deal, according to a league source who spoke with Mike Florio of PFT. If that proposal is still on the table, it stands to reason that the defensive end could return to Seattle, but according to veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson, that is not the case (Twitter link). Anderson says that the starting point for negotiations between the two sides would be “very different” than the $15MM figure.

[RELATED: Seahawks Hire Alonzo Highsmith For Full-Time Role]

Clowney has said that he wouldn’t mind returning to the Seahawks, though he rejected an offer from the team early in the offseason. Since then, the Seahawks have found front seven help elsewhere by adding Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa in free agency. They also found edge help in the draft by selecting outside linebacker Darrell Taylor (Round 2) and defensive end Alton Robinson (Round 5).

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. The Browns – long believed to be a frontrunner – recently offered Clowney a deal that was worth somewhere around $12MM per year. The former No. 1 overall pick turned them down in hopes of finding a better deal, but some believe that Clowney is overestimating his market.

The Giants, Eagles, and Jets are not in the mix for Clowney, even though they could all use some help on the edge. That leaves the Browns and Titans as the likely frontrunners, though the Titans have also downplayed their level of interest. The Seahawks are still open to bringing Clowney back, per Anderson, but it seems their offer would be closer to the one that the Browns put on the table.

Jets Aren’t Interested In Jadeveon Clowney

June 3rd, 2020 at 4:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants aren’t pursuing Jadeveon Clowney and the same goes for the other tenants of MetLife Stadium. The Jets spoke with the edge rusher’s agent, but they do not have serious interest in signing him, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com hears. Furthermore, Cimini hears that the Jets were never serious about him at any point this offseason. 

[RELATED: Browns Offered Clowney $12MM/Year?]

Clowney did his best to drum up interest from the Jets earlier this year, signaling a desire to join up with Gang Green. The Jets could use some help in the pressure department, but they’ve only got so much cap room to work with and bigger fish to fry. Specifically, they’re on the lookout for help at cornerback and they’ve got their sights set on former Titans standout Logan Ryan. As of this writing, they’ve got about $25MM to spend.

A confluence of factors have led to an unexpectedly long free agency spell for the former No. 1 pick. Beyond the pandemic and the ongoing unrest, Clowney’s asking price has proven to be a major hurdle. At the outset of free agency, Clowney was reportedly looking for $20MM/year. Then, he dropped it to about $17MM or $18MM. So far, it sounds like his best offer came from the Browns at around $12MM, a deal that Clowney’s camp rejected.

The Browns are still interested in Clowney, but the list gets murky after Cleveland. The two New York/New Jersey teams are out and the Eagles don’t want to approach his asking price either.

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