It was reported earlier on Friday that the New Orleans Saints were sending a member of their coaching staff to meet personally with free agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, but it appears that plans developed. Saints coach Sean Payton was joined by two assistants for dinner with Clowney in Texas, catered by Clowney’s personal chef.
That’s a heck of a recruiting pitch, driving home just how badly the Saints want Clowney to be part of their team. They have a lot overcome between some difficult salary cap maneuvering and their top rival for Clowney’s services as a free agent — the Tennessee Titans, who have more salary cap space and a tight connection to Clowney in Mike Vrabel, who was Clowney’s position coach and defensive coordinator with the Houston Texans.
And this is somewhat-familiar territory for Saints fans. It isn’t the first time Payton has tried to wine and dine a splashy free agent; in 2017, he and Ndamukong Suh had a long discussion over breakfast in New Orleans, only for Suh to choose the Los Angeles Rams instead.
But it’s still great to see how committed the Saints are to seeing this through. Time will tell if their efforts paid off.
