NFL Rumors: Jadeveon Clowney Eyes Panthers After Brian Burns Trade amid Ravens Buzz

Free-agent veteran defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is reportedly planning to visit with the Carolina Panthers.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the visit is expected to take place this week, although Clowney also has interest from other teams, including the Baltimore Ravens.

The 31-year-old Clowney, who is a three-time Pro Bowler, played for the Ravens last season and matched his career high with 9.5 sacks.

A 10-year NFL veteran, Clowney entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft after a spectacular collegiate career at South Carolina.

While it can be argued that Clowney never quite produced at a level that teams hope for out of a No. 1 overall pick, he was a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time Second Team All-Pro during his five-year run with the Houston Texans, and he has been one of the top "gun for hire" pass-rushers in the NFL since then.

In five seasons since leaving Houston, Clowney has played for four different teams, spending 2019 with the Seattle Seahawks, 2020 with the Tennessee Titans, 2021 and 2022 with the Cleveland Browns and last season with the Ravens.

Clowney has reached the nine-sack mark in two of the past three seasons, and for his career he has 363 tackles, 52.5 sacks, 99 tackles for loss and 15 forced fumbles in 126 regular-season games.

A Super Bowl appearance and win are the major accolades missing from résumé, which is why it is perhaps somewhat surprising that he is considering signing with a rebuilding team in the Panthers.

Carolina is coming off a miserable 2-15 season that saw it fire head coach Frank Reich and replace him with Dave Canales. To make matters worse, the Panthers don't even have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft since they used it to trade up to No. 1 overall last year in order to take quarterback Bryce Young.

The jury is very much out on Young after a turbulent rookie season, and the Panthers' success in the immediate future will likely rely heavily on his development.

One of the few bright spots for the Panthers in recent seasons has been pass-rusher Brian Burns, who was a two-time Pro Bowler in five seasons with Carolina, registering 46 sacks in 80 games.

However, rather than signing Burns to a robust contract extension, the Panthers traded him to the New York Giants this week for a 2024 second-round pick and 2025 fifth-round pick.

Burns' departure leaves the Panthers with a huge hole on defense, and while filling it won't be easy, Clowney would be capable of doing so for at least a year until Carolina can find a long-term option.

Clowney's interest in playing for the Panthers may involve the amount of money they can pay him, but it is also notable that he is from Rock Hill, South Carolina, which is less than an hour away from the Panthers' home base in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The opportunity to play close to home may be attractive to Clowney, but it is fair to wonder if it is more alluring than the idea of playing for a contender.

Baltimore had the best record in the AFC last season and played in the AFC Championship Game, so it is possible that getting a taste of nearly reaching the Super Bowl could compel Clowney to return to Baltimore or join another franchise with immediate Super Bowl aspirations.