Jadeveon Clowney's Suitors Dwindling as Offseason Continues

The NFL offseason was in full swing more than two months ago when free agency got underway in earnest. We saw a lot of the big names land new deals in a hurry, loading up on hefty contracts either with their previous team or landing somewhere near for the 2020 season. There are some names that have slipped through the cracks, either due to inflated value, injury issues or teams having a need but not the cap space or the desire to use it, to bring someone in. That collection of reasons is why guys like Cam Newton and Logan Ryan, among others, are still in search of a job as we close in on the beginning of June.

Another prime example of a guy that is still searching for a new team this late into the offseason is Jadeveon Clowney. The former first overall pick spent last season with Seattle after Houston dealt him for Jacob Martin, Barkevious Mingo and a third-round pick. That move fell along with the rest of the recent deals by Bill O’Brien, where one has to wonder who gave him the power to make trades. As it turned out, Clowney struggled with Seattle as he dealt with injuries and inconsistency. He finished the year with 31 tackles, three sacks, seven tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, three pass defenses, one interception and two defensive scores.

Going into free agency, Clowney was seeking a deal worth $20 million a season but as the weeks have dragged on, he seems to have priced himself out of the market. His price tag has dropped somewhat in recent weeks but he’s still looking for a hefty, eight-figure price tag at this point. There are continued rumors that Clowney may end up signing a one-year deal to try and improve his free-agent status and get a bigger deal next offseason. There are a few teams that he has been linked to but a recent report has one specific team targeting his services.

According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports!, he has tabbed the Browns as the frontrunner to acquire the defensive end’s services. On The Pat McAfee Show, he had this to say about the situation with Clowney and why the Browns would be a good fit:

“I still think it’s the Browns. I really do. I’ve been on this for a while. I still think the Cleveland Browns are a team that have a ton of cap space. If they cut Olivier Vernon tomorrow, it’s a $15 million cap hold, OK? …You want to put him with a set of guys who can be sort of force multipliers. So you’re sitting there at defensive end saying, ‘There’s Myles Garrett on one end, you put Jadeveon Clowney on the other. Something’s gonna happen here.’ One of these guys is gonna have to get doubled. It’s gonna change the matrix up front for offensive teams. I still think the Browns are a team that is very interested in Jadeveon Clowney but are slow-playing this process. Because look, the bottom line is Clowney’s just not in a hurry. There’s nothing going on right now.”

It's true that Clowney would be a good fit with the Browns. Should he sign with Cleveland, that could open up a small trickle-down effect as Vernon wouldn’t be needed. Realistically, why would you pay $15 million for a guy that would only see the field in rotation and potentially if there was an injury. The Browns already have Adrian Clayborn that would be slotted in behind Garrett and, if he was signed, Clowney. Cleveland needs some additional pass rush as they struggled in that department after Garrett was suspended down the stretch of the regular season. That could open up Vernon to land somewhere else to try and prove that he can still be a viable contributor.

The other team that is kicking around as a suitor for Clowney is the Titans. Tennessee has a capable linebacking group but getting some more pass rush from their front four would be a nice boost. The dealing of Jurrell Casey to Denver in the offseason left a void in the Titans’ front and that is something that the team needs to deal with in order to solidify their defense. Where will he end up? We’ll have to see as both teams are good fits for Clowney but one would think they wouldn’t to hand out big money on a multi-year deal until he proves himself. It’s something that will bear watching going forward.