The ongoing courtship between the Cleveland Browns and free agent EDGE Jadeveon Clowney fired up once again this week. A report from Ben Axelrod of Cleveland TV station WKYC indicates the Browns have offered the ex-Seahawk $15 million on a 1-year deal.
Other recent reports have noted that the Browns have consistently been the highest bidder for Clowney’s services this offseason, though no actual dollar figures have ever been confirmed by anyone.
Our take
If the Browns did in fact offer Clowney $15 million for one year and he refuses the offer, consider the infatuation dead. Clowney refusing to sign for $5 million per sack (he had 3 in 2019) means he has no real interest in playing for Cleveland. It’s hard to fathom any other team offering him that kind of payday; more than half the NFL cannot even make that offer due to the salary cap.
Clowney is a talented player and he would definitely help the Browns defense. But overpaying for what is at most a minor upgrade over Olivier Vernon makes no sense. If Clowney thinks he’s worth more than $15 million in 2020, it’s beyond time for the Browns to move on and let him wreck another team’s salary cap.
