Clowney's Market Value Diminished by Season in Tennessee
Once again, Jadeveon Clowney is one of the biggest names available after the first wave of NFL free agent signings.
This time, though, he should not expect a big payday. At least that is what one long-time NFL analyst believes.
Clowney’s lone season with the Tennessee Titans crushed his market value, according to NBC Sports columnist Peter King. The first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft has made nearly $56 million in seven seasons, including $12.25 million from the Titans in 2020. More than half of his career earnings to date were paid in bonuses (signing, roster, per game).
“I can’t figure out why any team would pay real money to Jadeveon Clowney right now,” King wrote in this week’s FMIA column. “He’s been overpaid, played one full season out of seven in the NFL, has 32.5 sacks in seven years, [and] is coming off a zero-sack season.”
Clowney’s pursuit of a new team became one of last offseason’s leading storylines because it lasted into September, when he finally accepted a one-year deal to play for the Titans.
Numerous reports along the way indicated that he wanted a contract worth in excess of $15 million. He ultimately settled for a little less. Based on how things went, though, the 6-foot-5, 255-pound edge rusher will have to seriously adjust his expectations for 2021.
In eight games with Tennessee, Clowney made 19 tackles, four tackles for loss and forced one fumble. He also had 10 quarterback pressures but no sacks. He was placed on injured reserve in mid-November after he elected to undergo surgery to repair a knee injury. The Titans were 5-3 with him in the lineup, 6-2 in the games he missed.
“(Clowney) did some good things for us last year before he got dinged with some disruptive plays,” general manager Jon Robinson said last month. “The statistical piece might not have gleamed, but he was a disruptive player on the edge for us.”
In five seasons with the Houston Texans, Clowney had 29 sacks, nearly two-thirds of which came in 2017 (nine and a half) and 2018 (nine). He had just three in 13 games with Seattle in 2019 before he was shut out last fall.
One of the primary reasons behind Tennessee’s decision to sign him in 2020 was the belief that he would significantly enhance the pass rush.
“I don’t care if sacks are overrated, and I know they are,” King wrote. “Clowney’s a nice, contributing player, not a dominant one, and unless he’s signed to a deal with a base of $5 million or less and big incentives, I wouldn’t touch him.”
