Former Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans defender Jadeveon Clowney could be close to signing with a team for at least the 2020 season, but it’s reportedly likely he’ll wait to put his signature on the dotted line until at least Sunday. ESPN ‘s Dianna Russini reported via Twitter on Friday that the rush end has been told he should wait until after NFL teams make their final roster cuts before the regular season kicks off. You can view her tweet here .
Russini wrote that Clowney has been advised to wait until after the weekend if possible because organizations are going to have more money and salary cap space after they trim their roster to 53. She added that “either way, it’s Clowney’s call.”
Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk said Russini’s final comment could mean that Clowney is very close to finally inking a new deal with someone. As The Inquisitr reported earlier, there are a couple of organizations that are said to be putting on an “all-out blitz” to land him.
The New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans are said to be going hard after Clowney, though it’s not clear if either organization has space under the salary cap to pay him what he’s asking.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said on Thursday that he was very open to Clowney returning as well. It’s well-known that Seattle doesn’t have enough room under the cap for the pass rusher. They had been thought to be out of the sweepstakes entirely due to money issues.
Williams said it’s still likely Clowney will get more money elsewhere, but the Seahawks haven’t been completely ruled out. The analyst added it’s not too late for another team to get involved.
There has already been a flurry of moves ahead of Saturday’s cut-down deadline, including the release of Washington running back Adrian Peterson, the signing of Leonard Fournette by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the trade of Yannick Ngakoue by the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend.
Williams said if Clowney wants to play in Week 1, he will need to sign very soon. Whatever team does land him will want to make sure he can pass a physical. The NFL will also make him go through its COVID-19 protocols.
The three-time Pro Bowler has 32 sacks in six seasons since the Texans selected him with the No. 1 overall choice in the 2014 NFL Draft. After playing his first five seasons in Houston, he signed with Seattle, where he tallied 31 tackles, three sacks and an interception as he played through a core muscle injury that required offseason surgery.