Bradley McDougald isn’t just replacing Jamal Adams as Gang Green’s starting strong safety. The newest Jet is also apparently taking over as New York’s lead recruiter.
McDougald, who joined the Jets on Saturday along with a bundle of draft picks in the deal that sent Adams to Seattle, already has an addition in mind. That would be free agent Jadeveon Clowney.
McDougald sent out a tweet Monday stating that he spoke Clowney, who expressed interest in joining the Jets. “Let’s make it happen,” McDougald wrote.
A talented pass-rusher, Clowney suffered a core injury at the end of 2019 that required offseason surgery. Still, he was said to be seeking a deal in the $17 million range back in April. That high asking price, along with the COVID-19 pandemic making it harder for teams to conduct physicals, cooled off Clowney’s market considerably.
Now, with training camp here, McDougald is trying to bring Clowney on board. The two were teammates in Seattle last season.
McDougald has competition, though. Adams, who was always a vocal recruiter with the Jets, has already hinted at trying to talk Clowney into coming back to Seattle.
McDougald’s pitch, however, has strength in numbers. Jets OL Geroge Fant, another former Seattle teammate, and rookie Mekhi Becton both endorsed bringing Clowney to The Big Apple.
Wherever Clowney ends up, it’s hard to see him remaining a free agent by the time Week 1 rolls around. Injuries have hindered him before and he hasn’t exactly lived up to being a No. 1 pick, but he does have 32 sacks and 80 QB hits in 75 career games.
That type of production would immediately upgrade the Jets’ pass-rush, though Clowney’s price tag may still be a bit too high for them.
