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After a turbulent few years for edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, he re-enters free agency once again with his value and his future up in the air.
He was drafted by the Houston Texans first overall in 2014 and spent five years there, but since then he hasn’t been able to find a long-term home. As we enter the 2021 offseason, let’s take a look at where he finds himself as he enters an offseason teamless once more.
Clowney finished last season as a Tennessee Titan, where he signed a one-year contract for a team with aspirations of playing deep into the playoffs.
They needed to improve their pass-rushing. They added him with hopes he would do just that. The results were disappointing.
When Clowney was in Houston, he put up 29 sacks in 53 starts. In the two seasons since, with the Seahawks and now Titans, he has totalled 3 sacks in 19 starts – and he didn’t record a single one of those this year.
What was offered as a ‘prove it deal’ did not pay off for the 27-year-old (he turns 28 on February 14th) and in fact may have given the team who signs him ahead of this year a bit of a discount – with Spotrac calculating his value at $6.5m a year, with the most likely deal being another one-year stint.
It also doesn’t help him that he got sent to IR in November. Issues or not, though, there is no team in the NFL that doesn’t have their eyes peeled for pass rushers and a discounted option who has had two nine-sack seasons at outside linebacker will definitely garner some interest. So, who could go after him?
Titans
The Tennessee Titans have obviously already shown belief in Clowney and could decide to resign him. They probably get a bit of a saving, but it is difficult to see them considering this a sufficient effort to increase their pass rush.
They signed him because they needed production and they didn’t get it, so it really depends what they saw off the field. They would surely have to add another rushing threat as well and it seems to me like they’re better off just saving his salary and spending more on somebody else.
Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the teams who first come to mind when you’re looking at pass rushing needs. However, adding Clowney would be risky for a team who are in serious need of sack production – like the Titans, their lack of sacks means that having Clowney in his current form would do next to nothing.
While Maxx Crosby was a great draft pick, and Clelin Ferrell has had a couple of great games, they need someone they can trust to disrupt dropbacks as often as possible, and Clowney’s past two years haven’t shown that production. It’s definitely an option but I feel that it could backfire.
Browns
The Cleveland Browns were reportedly very interested in Clowney when he was available in 2020, and they were willing to pay much more than the $6.5 million that Spotrac project his current value at. He wanted more money than they were willing to spend.
Things broke down, but the Browns looked fantastic this season and their pass rush already has some certified production, with superstar Myles Garrett bolstering the defensive line.
Adding their target from a year ago would be possible at a serious discount, and they aren’t a team who will be lost without him reaching crazy sack figures, due to having Garrett.
Also – remember, JJ Watt was on the opposite end of the formation for him through his dominant years – having a great rusher opposite him could be very helpful in helping return his production to where it once was. If the Browns don’t resign Olivier Vernon, they will be more than interested in a player with Clowney’s upside.
Clowney’s free agency outlook
Similarly to the Browns, their division-rival Baltimore Ravens are also losing a premier pass rusher and could look to Clowney as a cheaper option to replace the leaving star. Yannick Ngakoue is likely even more sought after – and expensive – than Olivier Vernon, so the Ravens might let him walk and try their luck with the free agent pool, including Clowney.
A fit that I think could be fairly on brand is the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick is a legendary head coach who cares about discipline and doing your job, and who doesn’t have room for people to put themselves above the team. This could be a landing spot that puts Clowney back in line and gets his head back to the grindstone.
Like I said earlier, any team could decide that the discount on Jadeveon Clowney is worth taking a look at, but there is a history of some drama with Clowney holding out of training camp and demanding more than teams felt he was worth.
Then, of course, there is his incredibly unproductive and injury-shortened 2020 season. I don’t suspect that Clowney will have a new team for another couple of months, but after the draft, he will surely find a home, it’s just difficult to see him getting the type of salary he hopes for when he does. My personal preference for him would be to land at a team who already has a stud option opposite him, like the Browns, and allow for him to try and regain his Houston mojo.
