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Jadeveon Clowney remains on the market but the Browns are still considered a “sleeper” team to sign the pass rusher, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The Browns are believed to have been close to signing Clowney before the deal fell through but appear to still be in the mix to sign the defensive end.
“One sleeper team could be the Browns,” Fowler noted on ESPN. “I’m told that they have shown some interest in Clowney and some people around the league believe that they got closer than some other suitors to actually signing him at one point and nothing happened but that is something to watch. This is a player, I’m told, who is willing to take a one-to-two year shorter deal, try to get his sack numbers up and hit the market because his big numbers of $20-plus million a year just simply didn’t happen this free agency.”
The news comes just a few days after NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported the Seahawks chances to re-sign Clowney are “slim to none.”
“I don’t know if he’s going to be back in Seattle,” Garafolo told Seattle 950 KJR. “The chances are slim to none.”
The Seahawks Have Moved on to “Plan B, C & D”
Garafolo went on to say that the Seahawks have moved on from Clowney after doing their best to re-sign the pass rusher.
“Seahawks potentially moving on to plan B, C & D,” Garafolo explained to KJR. “The Seahawks aren’t actively chasing Clowney right now. But who knows, never say never.”
The Seahawks have been linked to former Vikings pass rusher Everson Griffen, and Seattle has been rumored to have an interest in acquiring Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Seattle has already made two minor moves in signing Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa, but the defensive end is still likely to need more firepower before next season begins.
The Browns Were Close to Signing Clowney Before the Deal Fell Through
Fowler noted in an earlier report that the Browns were close to signing Clowney before a deal fell through. It is unclear what happened with the negotiations, but the Browns had hoped to pair Clowney with Myles Garrett.
“They’re all in on free agency,” Fowler noted on SportsCenter. “This is not a rebuild any longer because I’m told not only did they sign big players like Austin Hooper and Jack Conklin, they’ve been in on the Jadeveon Clowney mix. Some people around the league believe they even got close to a deal at some point in the last week. And so, they have Olivier Vernon as [a] pass rusher, but he has a $15.5 million cap hit. They can always switch that out for Clowney opposite Miles Garrett, [which] would be a dangerous combination on the edge for the Cleveland Browns. Two or three years ago, they would not be looking at making these kind of moves, but it is a different time. They’re all in because they believe they can contend right now.”
So far, the Seahawks have been unwilling to meet Clowney’s asking price, even after he lowered it from his original request of $20 million per season. All indications are that Clowney will sign a short-term deal with hopes of entering free agency sooner rather than later. It sounds like the chances of that happening in Seattle are decreasing.
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