Photo Credit: Rod Mar/Seattle Seahawks
The biggest surprise this NFL offseason has been the fact that former Seahawk DE Jadeveon Clowney is still available. When you dig deeper into the situation, it’s really not a big surprise. There are several reasons why he has yet to sign with a team.
One reason Clowney has yet to sign with a new team is the fact that he wants to be paid like an elite pass rusher. Several reports have stated that Clowney wants a “market-setting contract”. According to John Clayton, Clowney was hoping to land a contract worth $22-$24 million annually. It does not sound like any team is willing to pay that much for player who is recovery from a core injury that required surgery this offseason. A report from a week ago, reported that Clowney has lowered his contract demand from the said annually amount to around 17 million annually.
Another reason why Clowney is still out on the open market is because of his low sack number in 2019 (3 sacks) and he has not played a full season since 2017. If you have watched Clowney play, you probably have seen a glimpse on how he can take over a game. At times Clowney has been unstoppable, but he has not shown that he can do it consistently.
Lastly, after the 2019 Divisional Playoff loss vs the Packers, it was reported that Clowney stated his primary goal is to sign with a contender. He also stated, “I want to win… I’m not going to some sorry team.” If he is staying true to his word, then more than likely this could eliminate some teams (who have the cap space) to be in the running.
Jadeveon Clowney is at a point where he needs to make a decision on which route he is going to take. He has shown interest to stay with the Seahawks, but the fact that he hasn’t resigned with the Seahawks is telling. Simply stated, Seahawks do not want to pay him, even at that the reduced rate. There has been reports that have stated the Seahawks have made an unknown offer to Clowney. This tells me Clowney does not like the offer and feels like he is worth worth than what the Seahawks are offering. Clowney needs to make a decision to either take the offer or to leave it, and wait until he gets the offer that he is looking for. More than likely, Clowney will be heading to a new team in 2020. The Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns have shown interest as of late, which I would assume both teams would be considered contenders in 2020.
The unknown with Clowney is when will he sign? As of right now, he is still waiting and hoping that a team will value him as much as he values himself.
The Ball Game Report 