Free-agent pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney is reportedly seeking a hefty payday as expected, but it appears the teams he’s talking to aren’t exactly willing to give him what he’s looking for.
Here’s a look at some of the latest rumors involving Clowney’s contract demands and negotiations.
- NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero points out that Clowney’s camp is seeking upwards of $21 million per year in order to make him the highest-paid defensive end in the NFL.
- Pelissero also notes that people he has spoken to are skeptical Clowney can get that much. A big reason for this is that teams can’t bring players in for physicals because of the COVID-19 outbreak and Clowney has a lengthy injury history, including recently getting surgery to repair a core issue he had in 2019.
- NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported on Wednesday that the market Clowney expected for his services simply hasn’t been there.
- ESPN’s Dianna Russini pretty much echoed both Pelissero and Garafolo’s reports, stating that Clowney wants about $20 million per year but interested teams aren’t willing to match right now.
- ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler also confirmed the desired Clowney price tag of around $20 million and how it is too “steep” for teams. He also added an interesting wrinkle that the pass-rusher might be willing to take a “shorter term deal” to re-enter the market “in a year or two.”
- People Fowler has spoken to believe Clowney will end up back in Seattle.
We still don’t have any kind of rumor that the Titans are in on Clowney, but yesterday’s Jurrell Casey trade to dump salary might be an indication they are.
As it stands now, the Titans have roughly $25 million in cap space, so theoretically they still have the room to sign the best pass-rusher left on the open market.
And if it is the Titans that ultimately land him, it’s possible they get him for less than the $20 million he’s seeking and/or on a short-term deal because of the circumstances laid out above.
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