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The Las Vegas Raiders have made a free agent contract offer to edge run stopper Jadeveon Clowney, according to Cecil Lammey of 104.3 The Fan. Lammey says that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is pushing for the team to sign Clowney but that general manager Mike Mayock and owner Mark Davis are not yet interested in increasing their offer to one of the league’s top run-stoppers.
Lammey notes that at least two teams — potentially the Seattle Seahawks and/or Tennessee Titans — have offered Clowney more money than what Las Vegas is offering. Perhaps instead they are looking to offer an opportunity to be a star player in a new football city looking for names on the roster to grow attached to.
Certainly Jadeveon Clowney is a name, there is no doubting that.
Team sources tell me #Raiders have extended an offer to Jadeveon Clowney. 2 or 3 other teams have better offers. Jon Gruden REALLY wants him but Davis/Mayock are standing pat (for now) Gruden would like to up the offer. Interesting for #Broncos if JC winds up in AFCW @1043TheFan
— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) July 6, 2020
The Raiders are projected to have $8.4 million in cap space currently but more considerations, such as rookie deals and the practice squad, still need to be accounted for within that figure. There are some contracts with potential savings, such as $3.25 million to safety Erik Harris, $2.1 million to quarterback Nathan Peterman, both with zero guarantees remaining, that could create necessary room.
It may also mean that on a multi-year deal, Clowney would get paid considerably more down the line than whatever he receives in 2020, and that’s assuming a season happens.
Jadeveon Clowney was an elite run-stopper in college at South Carolina and he even had a bonus of 21 sacks through his first two seasons. Through six seasons in the NFL, five with the Houston Texans team that drafted him first overall and one with the Seahawks, he has continued to prove himself as one of the best run defenders in the league. Every so often he will also get to and disrupt the quarterback.
The #Raiders have made a contract offer to free-agent DE Jadeveon Clowney, according to @CecilLammey
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 6, 2020
Clowney is seeking $17-18 million per year and the #Browns were previously thought to be the highest bidder.
The #Seahawks and and #Titans are still in the picture.
Clowney posted three sacks in 13 games last season. His only full season came in 2017, when he posted a career-high 9.5 sacks. If he came to Las Vegas, he’d team up not only with 2019 fourth overall pick Clelin Ferrell but also Maxx Crosby, who posted 10 sacks during his first NFL campaign.
The Raiders finished 31st on defense by DVOA last season, including 30th against the pass and 21st against the run. Signing Clowney would certainly help address the latter issue.
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