The New Orleans Saints are the latest team rumored to have entered the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes. In fact, the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissereo reported via The Heavy on Thursday that the Saints are not only interested in Clowney, they have launched an “all-out blitz” to land him.
The analyst reportedly said that head coach Sean Payton has talked to Clowney multiple times over the past few weeks. The Saints are said to feel as though they need to make a push for the defender because there are at least two other teams interested in him.
As The Inquisitr reported previously, the market for Clowney was thought to be drying up a bit. His contract demands were seen as exorbitant by most teams who were interested in him. As the final cut-down day is just 24 hours away, it appears there are some organizations who have rethought their previous dismissal of him.
Sports Illustrated’s Corbin Smith reported on Twitter that the Seattle Seahawks could ultimately be the winner of this down-to-the-wire race. They have more salary cap room, which gives them more flexibility. He added they are in a position where there are a few pieces that could either be released or traded rather quickly if they needed to free up more money.
ESPN ‘s Diana Russini tweeted that along with the Saints, the Tennessee Titans are also putting on a full-court press for Clowney. She said coaches and players for both teams have been calling and texting the defender. Both squads are trying to convince him their city is the best to play in.
It’s not clear if the Seahawks are going to the same lengths as some of their rivals. The Heavy said at the moment, it appears more likely that they are monitoring the situation.
With the amount of space they have when it comes to the cap, they are said to be able to counter any “reasonable” offer made to Clowney.
The site said the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport echoed the idea that New Orleans and the Titans are making the biggest push right now.
Tennessee is a team that had gone after him earlier in the summer but had seemed to have dropped off at some point. As the calendar crept closer to the 2020 season’s kickoff, they appeared to have decided to give landing him one more try.
Russini noted that for now, Clowney’s asking price is more than any organization is willing to pay. It’s thought that part of the sales pitches being made to him include attempts to get him to come down on his price tag.