The Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints appear to be in a bare-knuckled brawl to sign free agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, according to ESPN's Dianna Russini.
Jadeveon Clowney could be with a team a very soon. I’m told the Tennessee Titans and the New Orleans Saints are both making strong pushes to sign the free agent. Both teams want him on the field by Monday and are making their pitches.
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) September 3, 2020
Clowney, 27, last competed for the Seattle Seahawks during the 2019 NFL season after an early September trade by his longtime Houston Texans, who selected the South Carolina standout with the first overall pick in the 2014 draft.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Clowney is known as one of the premier pass-rushing linemen in the NFL, despite numbers diminishing last season in Seattle. He recorded 31 combined tackles, 13 quarterback hits, three sacks, and one interception in 13 games with the Seahawks in 2019.
The Titans were linked to Clowney much earlier in the offseason, with Tennessee general manager Jon Robinson commenting on the situation even. Robinson said the team, which was runner-up to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game earlier in the year, was “monitoring the situation” regarding Clowney.
The Baltimore Ravens, the NFL's best regular-season record in 2019, were even in “pole position” to sign Clowney as recently as last week.
Jadeveon Clowney's free agency has been fascinating to check in on throughout the last six-plus months as he is no doubt one of the most talented edge rushers in the NFL. However, back in March, teams pulled away bids after pitches came in much lower than the pass rusher desired.
This past week saw a big move for a defensive end, though, with the Jacksonville Jaguars trading Yannick Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings. Ngakoue agreed to a pay cut for the upcoming season with Minnesota earning the right franchise tag him next year—something his previous stop tried to do with conflict arising.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Clowney plans on signing with a team soon to play in Week 1.
For free-agent pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney, he’s been planning to sign before Week 1 for months. Based on having to clear COVID-19 protocols, it has to be by the weekend. Decision time is coming, and the #Saints hope to make it a no-brainer. Of course, so do the #Titans.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 3, 2020
Perhaps the pass-rushing market is starting to materialize around Clowney.
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