The Raiders may be positioning themselves to grab the NFL’s top remaining free agent, provided they can convince defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to accept less money than he’s been seeking.
The Raiders recently made an offer to the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, according to Cecil Lammey of 104.3 The Fan in Denver, but at least two or three other teams presented Clowney with larger contract proposals.
https://twitter.com/CecilLammey/status/1280181797251198976
At this point, Raiders coach Jon Gruden was said to be pushing harder than general manager Mike Mayock or owner Mark Davis to go after the three-time Pro Bowler, Lammey said.
With the Raiders currently just $8.8 million under the salary cap, they’d need to get creative in order to satisfy Clowney’s demands. The Raiders’ top candidates for contract restructuring or perhaps a trade could be guard Gabe Jackson, safety Lamarcus Joyner and wide receiver Tyrell Williams.
Months ago, the Seahawks reportedly told Clowney they’d pay him the same $15 million salary he received last year to register three sacks while battling injuries in Seattle. Clowney, who had nine sacks in 2018 and a career-best 9.5 sacks in 20017 for Houston, was said to be seeking a deal in the $17-18 million range a couple of months ago. He may be forced to accept much less with NFL training camps set to open in less than three weeks.
The Raiders appear to be set at defensive end with last year’s top pick Clelin Ferrell and fourth-rounder Maxx Crosby as the projected starters. While Ferrell didn’t immediately deliver on the promise of a No. 4 overall pick, Crosby was a revelation with his team-leading 10 sacks. The Raiders also added free-agent Carl Nassib from Tampa Bay and return third-year man Arden Key.
However, getting a potential game-changing defensive end at a cut rate is a huge motivating factor for the Raiders, who were just 24th in the league with 32 sacks in 2019.
Clowney’s bargaining power has taken a hit since he’s coming off surgery for a core muscle injury that limited him last season. But Clowney insists doubting his ability to make a strong comeback would be a mistake.
Free agent DE Jadeveon Clowney (@clownejd), working in Houston with @itsdannyarnold, in no rush to make a decision: “I know what’s going on in the world..It’s a slow process until teams can see me&see what I got & can give me physicals..I’m just waiting on the right opportunity.” pic.twitter.com/KI4yxV1Mw4
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) May 6, 2020
“I don’t know if people are thinking I’m hurting because of what I went through, because of the core or previous years, but I just want to let people know I’m ready,” Clowney told Mark Berman of Houston’s Fox 26 in May. “Whoever I sign with is going to get the best version of me.”
The Titans are among the other teams who appear most interested in Clowney, especially since Clowney did some of his best work in Houston when Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel was the Texans’ defensive coordinator.
