Saints news: Sean Payton reacts to New Orleans missing out on Jadeveon Clowney

The Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes are over, with the Titans winning. Saints coach Sean Payton can’t help but look back at how close his team came.

The Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes are over, with the Tennessee Titans emerging as the winners. New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton can’t help but look back at how close his team came to acquiring the 27-year-old defensive end.

Ultimately, according to Payton, the Saints couldn’t match the money the Titans offered Clowney, who reportedly signed a one-year deal that was worth up to $15 million. New Orleans had less than $7 million in cap space for the 2020 season. Payton added that the Saints tried to get creative in acquiring Clowney. In a report by ESPN’s Mike Triplett, the team tried a sign-and-trade deal with another team that would allow them to keep the three-time Pro Bowler’s salary under the cap in exchange for a draft pick. The NFL, however, did not approve of the deal.

Payton said of the Saints' attempt:

“And it was one thought, just creatively relative to, essentially, having a team sign a player, take some of the financial burden away from the team they trade him to, and essentially then get a draft pick back.”

But despite an early positive response from the NFL according to the Saints coach, the league ultimately did not approve of the deal. Clowney, arguably the best free agent left on the market, chose to sign with the Titans even after the Payton and other Saints staff members had a private dinner with the defensive end to try to convince him to sign with the team. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, New Orleans’ final offer to Clowney was about $2 million lower than Tennessee’s.

Before hitting the free agent market (which the Saints were a part of), Clowney spent last season with the Seattle Seahawks, where he had three sacks, four forced fumbles, and two fumble returns in 11 games.

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