Getty Jadeveon Clowney and the Patriots probably aren't a match.
A skilled player like Jadeveon Clowney would seem to be a potential fit for the Patriots, but one insider doesn’t think it’s a match we’ll see made.
Clowney is the most talented NFL free agent left unsigned, and there is a chance it could stay that way for a while. Without the opportunity for teams to conduct a proper physical for him, his signing may be put off until some of the shelter-in-place orders due to the coronavirus pandemic have been lifted throughout the country.
What Bill Barnwell Says About Patriots and Clowney
Even once the market for Clowney begins to heat up, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes the price will be the dividing point. “Belichick doesn’t really value expensive pass rushers,” Barnwell tweeted.
Patriots Have Never Paid Big Money to Pass Rushers
Barnwell is correct.
If you look back at the Patriots’ roster over the past 20 years, you’d be hard-pressed to find any edge rushers being paid top dollar. The biggest pass rushers off the edge in Patriots history are Willie McGinest, Chris Slade, Mike Vrabel and Chandler Jones. None of them ever garnered top-shelf contracts when compared to others at their positions.
That’s especially been the case as the value for edge rushers has sky-rocketed in this pass-happy era of football. In fact, the Patriots traded Jones to the Arizona Cardinals after the 2015 season, a year he led the team in sacks with 12.5.
Jones was going to be a free agent after the 2016 campaign, and the Patriots avoided being in a position to use the franchise tag on the talented pass rusher, lose him for nothing in free agency or pay him what turned out to be a five-year, $82.5 million deal with the Cardinals.
Knowing the team’s history and philosophy on big contracts, especially for an edge rusher, it seems highly unlikely the Patriots would chase Clowney.
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What Clowney Has Done in the NFL
After being selected No. 1 overall by the Houston Texans in the 2014 NFL Draft, Clowney has had a good, but not great, six-year run. After spending his first six seasons with Houston, Clowney was traded to the Seattle Seahawks ahead of the 2019 campaign.
He had just three sacks in 13 games but was bothered by a core injury. It’s that injury that is likely giving pause to teams that are interested in signing him.
Would Clowney Even Be Interested in Playing for the Patriots?
There is so much talk about the Patriots’ interest in Clowney, but we don’t know if the player would want to play for New England. In fact, there are two major reasons to believe he wouldn’t want to join the Patriots.
First, Clowney has made it clear he wants to join a team that has a chance to win a Super Bowl. It feels strange to say this, but for the first time in 20 years or so, most wouldn’t consider the Patriots a major Super Bowl contender heading into the upcoming season.
In addition to the departure of Tom Brady, the team has too many other potential holes on defense, even beyond the one Clowney could potentially fill.
Second, Clowney may not be in love with playing for Bill Belichick. In September 2019, Clowney reportedly shut down a potential trade to the Miami Dolphins because he didn’t want to play for head coach Brian Flores, who is a former assistant on Belichick’s staff. He didn’t seem to enjoy his time playing for Texans head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, another former Belichick assistant.
If Clowney wanted no part of coaches who learned under Belichick, it wouldn’t be a shock if he also wasn’t thrilled about playing for the man himself. Essentially, if you were hoping to purchase a Patriots Clowney jersey, you’d better think about how you’d look in Rob Ninkovich threads instead.
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