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Yannick Ngakoue had been the talk of New York over the past 24-hours or so, as reports broke that the disgruntled Jacksonville Jaguars defender “wants to be a New York Giant.”
Apparently, he’s not alone. That is, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. Vacchiano proclaimed that former first-overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney is very high on the New York Giants as well, and they are one of the teams on his wish list ahead of free agency.
“According to an NFL source, the Giants are one of the teams on the 27-year-old edge-rusher’s wish list as he heads to free agency,” Vacchiano said.
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as Clowney and Big Blue have been linked for numerous weeks now. However, while these reports of interest may not shock you, Clowney’s potential asking price may just blow you away.
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Clowney May Want Up to $23M Annually
Vacchiano followed up the news of the G-Men being amongst Clowney’s potential desired landing spots by giving us some detail for the contract he’s likely to seek.
“According to another source, he [Clowney] could be looking at a contract worth $22-23 million per year” Vacchiano stated.
The Giants are currently slated to have the sixth-highest cap space entering free agency, and could certainly afford the hefty price tag if they so desired. However, as Vacchiano pointed out, they likely won’t go down that road, as an annual pay of $22M-$23M for Clowney “will likely be out of the Giants’ range.”
Clowney, who recently turned 27-years old in February, has not developed into the type of sack artist many expected him to become following his storied college career. He’s yet to notch double-digit sacks in any of his six years in the NFL. However, his all-around game still makes him a lethal piece for any defense, something that will likely land him a contract at, or at the very least extremely close to, his reported contract demands, albeit potentially not with the Giants.
Clowney to the Giants Seems Unlikley at the Moment
Even before news broke of Clowney’s contract demands being too steep for the Giants’ liking, the doubts about the three-time pro bowler taking his talents to New York were beginning to grow.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan recently stated that it would be “hard to imagine [the New York Giants are] seriously going to swim in those Clowney waters.”
New York Post’s Paul Schwartz appears to have a similar take on the potential Clowney-Giants pairing.
“Gettleman wants to shore up as many holes as possible in free agency, and he must bring in a few established players — not necessarily high-priced stars — to start and contribute on defense. So, perhaps think more inside linebacker Joe Schobert than edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney.”
Schwartz’s sentiment appears to reign true, as it’s been recently reported that New York has already shown interest in numerous inside linebackers ahead of free agency.
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