NFL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Jadeveon Clowney, Curtis Samuel Trade, More
Jadeveon Clowney is one of the top unsigned NFL free agents, but his stature has not sparked a rush in interest.
According to The Athletic's Jay Glazer, "there's hasn't been an enormous market" for the 27-year-old pass-rusher who spent last season with the Seattle Seahawks.
A not-so-great medical history and high contract demands have kept Clowney on the market alongside two other former No. 1 overall picks in Cam Newton and Jameis Winston.
Newton's former team, the Carolina Panthers, have been one of the busiest sides in the NFL since free agency began.
Although they have parted ways with a handful of players, it does not look like they will be doing so with one of their wide receivers.
Glazer believes part of the reason why Clowney is still available is his injury history. He had offseason sports hernia surgery.
Due to the regulations in place during the coronavirus outbreak, Clowney is unable to meet teams in person and go through physicals to prove he is 100 percent.
"I think some of it is also the injury issues he's had," Glazer said. "He's had injuries for much of his career and teams can't bring him in and poke and prod. He's in a similar situation to Cam Newton."
According to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, it could take some time for the player to find a home in 2020.
"One growing thought around the league is that Clowney could take a while to find a new team, with some wondering if he could even wait into training camp," he wrote.
Clowney has 80 quarterback hits, 71 tackles for loss and 32 sacks in his career, but he only had three sacks in 13 games for the Seahawks last season.
Since he was not as dominant as he was in his final two seasons with the Houston Texans, some teams may be reluctant to use an exorbitant amount of money on him.
Dallas' DeMarcus Lawrence and Kansas City's Frank Clark are the only defensive ends scheduled to make $20 million from 2020-22.
Clowney may be looking for a deal with an average annual value over $20 million, per The Athletic's Stephen Holder.
"One front-office source said Clowney is hoping to fetch $21 million a year," Holder wrote. "That's a ton of cash for a player who has never had more than 9.5 sacks in a single season, even while playing alongside All-Pro J.J. Watt in Houston."
Some of the best pass-rushers from 2019 are not making close to $20 million in the upcoming campaign.
Shaquil Barrett, who led the NFL in sacks with 19.5, is in line to make $15.8 million in 2020 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cameron Jordan and Danielle Hunter led the defensive end position in quarterback take downs and are scheduled to earn $17.5 million and $14 million, respectively.
If Clowney's numbers were as strong as others last season, the large contract demands could be more reasonable, but in comparison, it looks too high at the moment.
According to The Athletic's Joseph Person, "the Panthers aren't shopping" Curtis Samuel on the trade market.
"Sources have told The Athletic the Panthers aren’t shopping Samuel," he wrote. "Would they consider moving him if someone called with a strong offer? Maybe. But the Panthers are trying to give (Teddy) Bridgewater more weapons to succeed in (offensive coordinator Joe) Brady's offense, not fewer."
After the addition of Robby Anderson in free agency, the Panthers have five wide receivers in line to make seven figures on deals this season.
Samuel finished third on the Carolina roster in receiving yards in 2019 behind D.J. Moore and Christian McCaffrey, both of whom eclipsed 1,000 yards. Anderson has had at least 700 receiving yards and five touchdowns in each of his last three seasons with the New York Jets.
With Anderson and Moore in place, Samuel will likely be the No. 3 receiver at best on the roster, but that role is important to help Bridgewater in his new starting role and ease some of the pressure off McCaffrey.
In Anderson, Moore, Samuel and Seth Roberts, Bridgewater has a formidable core to work with, and he does not have to overuse McCaffrey in the passing game, unlike previous Panthers signal-callers.
According to ESPN's Josina Anderson, the Houston Texans and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil "have started talks on a new multi-year extension."
The 25-year-old will make $10.3 million in 2020 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
From Houston's perspective, solidifying one edge of the offensive line for the long term has to be an important part of its roster build after giving up a first-round pick for Tunsil.
Shipping a first-round selection to the Miami Dolphins and then letting the Ole Miss product walk after two years seems like a bad business decision, especially with the protection problems the Texans have had for Deshaun Watson.
In 2018, Watson suffered 62 sacks, and while his total decreased with Tunsil on board in 2019, he was still taken down on 44 occasions.
If the Texans come to an agreement with Tunsil, it would at least give them security at an important position in an attempt to keep their quarterback upright more often.
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