@tour2ma said:

Never was according to what I've read. Never asked for Mack money ($23mm/yr) or even Lawrence money ($21 per), but no telling what he's asked in guarantees, length etc. Whatever it was, he... meaning his agent... has apparently come off it some due to the underwhelming interest in meeting his price.

I'd guess something in the Trey Flowers area ($18mm per) area, but shorter duration with higher guarantees gets a deal done... but leaves the following question unanswered..

HTF did Flowers get that kind of money?

Now that it's obvious, he ain't gonna get top edge rusher $, huge signing bonus, large guaranteed $, it might be agreeable. I would not be the fool that gives him big guaranteed $, and it looks like no one else will. If motivated by a "prove it" deal, then it could make sense. 

@louisville-slugger said:

Is he still trying to set the DE market?

Never was according to what I've read. Never asked for Mack money ($23mm/yr) or even Lawrence money ($21 per), but no telling what he's asked in guarantees, length etc. Whatever it was, he... meaning his agent... has apparently come off it some due to the underwhelming interest in meeting his price.

I'd guess something in the Trey Flowers area ($18mm per) area, but shorter duration with higher guarantees gets a deal done... but leaves the following question unanswered..

HTF did Flowers get that kind of money?

@louisville-slugger said:

Oliver. Garrett, Clowney, and Clayborn is a very nice DE group.

I agree.  Try and get him as cheaply as you can.  If he goes somewhere else, then so be it.  It wasn't going to be a long term thing anyway. (most probably)

This.  
 

we have decisions to make in the next couple years.  Baker, Garrett, Ward are the big ones.  You have the cap space now.  You will not have it when we sign two of those three to their next contracts BUT you can get creative in the interim and front load some of these deals to fit talents like Clowney with the current Nucleus above.  

I can make a strong argument that Clowney is the best DE that is available in Free Agency or the draft 

it’s time to go all in. And you can do in a way that doesn’t impact your long term core of players. 

@icecube said:

You would never have to cite those excuses about LT, Haley, Suggs, et al. (I'm not saying you thought he was at that level.) But, if they got a motivated Clowney, then I'll be wrong. Garrett on one side, Clowney on the other? 

I did not see myself as making "excuses". What I thought I was doing was explaining why JC's sack total was low last season while at the same time demonstrating that sacks are not the total measure of any Edge's contributions. But I can see how that effort could be taken as an excuse... it's a thin line.

Your sack dream team is special... no doubt. LT produced just over two sacks every three games in his career while Suggs and Haley posted just under that mark. Clowney... just over one every two games. But again where data is available, Suggs' 3rd year and on, it shows that JC is closer in QB hits. Ditto for TFL stats.

I definitely reject the notion that Clowney being undermotivated was a factor in his 2019 performance. If it were, then that would show in his effort against the run... the less glamorous, grunt work part of an Edge's job. If it were, then Seattle would not be pursuing him as they are despite their relatively limited cap space.

Bottom line... Is he worth the money? Purely eye of the beholder stuff there. However, when you have the money, and in the short-term we do, then the question becomes... "Why not spend it on one of the best options you have?"

@icecube said:

You would never have to cite those excuses about LT, Haley, Suggs, et al. (I'm not saying you thought he was at that level.) But, if they got a motivated Clowney, then I'll be wrong. Garrett on one side, Clowney on the other? 

Or even Clowney RE, Garrett LT and Vernon LE with Ogi still at LT. Talk about 4 man pressure and 4 man run stopping!

@tour2ma said:

3 on a team that had 28... 13 QB hits on a team that had 68... to say he was the focus of the passing Offenses he faced would be an understatement.

I let my PFF Elite lapse, but IIRC he had one of the highest EDGE grades vs the run in 2019.

Opposite MG... they'd both benefit... just as he (9.0; 21) and JJ (16.0; 25) did in HOU in 2018.

Signing Clowney for me would be a sign that we aren't just looking for incremental improvement this year... we're going for much more.

This, his 4th year, will run us just under $10mm and a 5th year option (must be exercised before May 2) would run around $15mm, but I have to believe we'll work towards an extension before the 5th year kicks in... maybe before the start of this season... in a front end heavy deal averaging north of $23mm/yr.

You would never have to cite those excuses about LT, Haley, Suggs, et al. (I'm not saying you thought he was at that level.) But, if they got a motivated Clowney, then I'll be wrong. Garrett on one side, Clowney on the other? 

From an article in The Seattle Times...

One other interesting dynamic that adds to the idea that the Browns could be a serious suitor is that Clowney has the same agent as Cleveland standout defensive end Myles Garrett, who like Clowney was a first overall pick in the NFL draft (Clowney in 2014 out of South Carolina and Garrett in 2017 out of Texas A&M).

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/are-the-cleveland-browns-making-a-run-at-jadeveon-clowney/

Take the 2 Year deal... or leave a out at 2 years    

My issue really boils down to this.

- Contract length and guaranteed money. 

Team friendly? Fuck it, bring him on board.      Overpay?  Pass.

@icecube said:

He had a whopping 3 sacks...how much $ was that per sack? $2.66 million. That's lunacy, and notice Seattle didn't rush to bring him back. 

3 on a team that had 28... 13 QB hits on a team that had 68... to say he was the focus of the passing Offenses he faced would be an understatement.

I let my PFF Elite lapse, but IIRC he had one of the highest EDGE grades vs the run in 2019.

Opposite MG... they'd both benefit... just as he (9.0; 21) and JJ (16.0; 25) did in HOU in 2018.

Signing Clowney for me would be a sign that we aren't just looking for incremental improvement this year... we're going for much more.

@sdbacker80 said:

Garrett has a couple years left at a reasonable number before you have to Pay him big time

This, his 4th year, will run us just under $10mm and a 5th year option (must be exercised before May 2) would run around $15mm, but I have to believe we'll work towards an extension before the 5th year kicks in... maybe before the start of this season... in a front end heavy deal averaging north of $23mm/yr.

@tour2ma said:

Fragile? The guys missed 6 games in 4 years...

One-year rental plus an option year? Why not? Pressures passers and stuffs runs... what's not to like?

======================================================================================================

He had a whopping 3 sacks...how much $ was that per sack? $2.66 million. That's lunacy, and notice Seattle didn't rush to bring him back. 

@mld-woody said:

My favorite description is from PFF. They joke that he is still riding that hit he had against Michigan

I was thinking that same thing.

@icecube said:

No, no, no, no. Clowney wants top $ while not being a top player. Hard pass. He's physically gifted like crazy, but where is the production? He had 3 sacks last year, but wants paid like Khalil Mack. Clowney never cracked double digit sacks in his career. And I don't think he's the best team chemistry guy either. (Not saying he's a locker room cancer, but it's not like he's a team leader. Clayborn doesn't have his ability but not much less production (1 sack more, actually, last season) for way cheaper. 

the dude shows up when he wants to show up other games he is just a body

Garrett has a couple years left at a reasonable number before you have to Pay him big time- when that time comes you release Clowney.  
 

One-year rental plus an option year? Why not? Pressures passers and stuffs runs... what's not to like?

======================================================================================================

@mld-woody said:

My favorite description is from PFF. They joke that he is still riding that hit he had against Michigan

They aren't really wrong in this case.  

@tiamat63 said:

Pass.

My favorite description is from PFF. They joke that he is still riding that hit he had against Michigan

He and Myles would help our DB's do their job.  ( I just can't bring myself to believe it would get past our analytics dept. )