It’s finally over: the Tennessee Titans have won over free agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, agreeing to sign him to a one-year contract worth as much as $15 million. That follows a strong recruiting effort from the New Orleans Saints spearheaded by head coach Sean Payton.
And it doesn’t look like the various contract offers were that far apart. The Saints were able to get within $2 million of the Titans offer, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini, but NFL insider Josina Anderson spoke with Clowney and reported that, “it came down to familiarity over economics.”
That suggests that, in a vacuum, the Saints and Titans put money on the table that Clowney would have signed off on. But the opportunity to reunite with his old Houston Texans position coach, Mike Vrabel, was too good to pass up.
Don’t get it twisted: it’s a bummer that the Saints took such a big swing at a big-time free agent and whiffed. At least they didn’t need him to turn the pass rush into a functional unit, instead acting as the X-factor that could have helped the defense take a step up. The Saints will still be stout up front without him.
And if it’s any consolation, they weren’t the only team Clowney turned down. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports that Clowney passed on proposals bringing in north of $15 million per year earlier this summer because he didn’t want to play for those teams; the Saints, Titans, and Seattle Seahawks each made competitive offers over Labor Day weekend, but the Titans were his preferred fit. Breer added that while Clowney had interest in joining the Baltimore Ravens, the feeling wasn’t very mutual.
Notes on the Clowney pursuit …
• He had offers of ~$15M this offseason, but from teams he didn't want to go to.
• Market with teams he did like (Sea, NO, Ten) crystallized this weekend b/w $10M and $12M.
• Word was he'd wanted to go to Ravens, but they were lukewarm. https://t.co/V2D6AbmYXe
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 6, 2020
