After visiting with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday, former first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney has received a contract offer from the Lamar Jackson-led squad and will be “taking some time to think it through,” per CBS insider Josina Anderson.
A Pro Bowl pass rusher in three of his first five seasons with 24.5 sacks, 53 tackles for loss, 59 QB hits, 119 solo tackles, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns in that stretch, Clowney has spent the past two seasons playing for the Cleveland Browns. An AFC North division rival, the Browns went 15-19 in 2021 and 2022 while Clowney amassed 11.0 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, 23 QB hits, 38 solo tackles, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in that time.
Although he was much more impressive in 2021 than 2022, the 30-year-old seemed to get his career back on track after a forgettable season with the Tennessee Titans in 2020. He might have even been able to stay on with the Browns had they been able to stay on the same page, but the veteran publicly lashed out at the Browns late last season for not featuring him more on defense and expressed serious doubts about his willingness to return for a third season because of that.
This upcoming season, should he agree to Baltimore's contract offer, Clowney may not have to do much for the Ravens defense besides get to the quarterback. Even if he's no longer in his prime, it's clearly a role he's still pretty good at. That being said, after losing outside linebacker Justin Houston, defensive end Calais Campbell, and edge rusher Jason Pierre-Paul in free agency, the Ravens have plenty of sacks they need to make up for.