Jadeveon Clowney Rumors: Giants on Wish List, OLB Seeks $22-23M AAV on Contract

Free-agent edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney has the New York Giants on his list of teams that he's interested in joining, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv.

However, the feeling may not be mutual, with Vacchiano noting that Clowney's reported contract desire of $22 million to $23 million per year may preclude him from joining Big Blue.

"According to an NFL source, the Giants are one of the teams on the 27-year-old edge-rusher's wish list as he heads to free agency," Vacchiano wrote. "But according to another source, he could be looking at a contract worth $22-23 million per year, which will likely be out of the Giants' range."

Dot-connecting over the past few days points to Clowney playing somewhere other than New York.

ESPN's Jordan Raanan wrote Wednesday that it is "hard to imagine [the Giants are] seriously going to swim in those Clowney waters."

"The Giants will be looking for edge rushers, inside linebackers and cornerbacks on the free-agent market, and they will start at the top," Raanan wrote.

"Edge rusher might not work out. Giants general manager Dave Gettleman expects all of the top pass-rushers to be tagged, with the exception of Jadeveon Clowney 'because of the injuries.' In reality, Clowney and the Seattle Seahawks struck a deal that has prevented him from being tagged. Still, the Giants are traditionally conservative when it comes to medical concerns. It is hard to imagine they're seriously going to swim in those Clowney waters, given Gettleman's comment."

The same goes for comments written by Paul Schwartz of the New York Post:

"The draft can wait. Gettleman wants to shore up as many holes as possible in free agency, and he must bring in a few established players — not necessarily high-priced stars — to start and contribute on defense. So, perhaps think more inside linebacker Joe Schobert than edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney."

Clowney had 31 tackles, 13 quarterback hits and three sacks in 13 games for the Seahawks last season.

Although Clowney may not get $22 million-plus from the Giants, a handful of teams have plenty of cap space and a pass-rushing need.

Two of those teams are AFC South rivals, the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts. ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler (h/t Will Lomas of Titan Sized) wrote the following about those two teams on Monday:

"Clowney could be looking to try to blow the top off the edge rusher market, especially if so many of his fellow free agents are getting franchised, and it’s unlikely Seattle goes to $18 million to $20 million per year for a player who had 3.5 sacks in 2019. The Seahawks value him highly but don’t want to break the bank.

"Two teams that could give Clowney what he wants and pry him from Seattle: the Colts and Titans."

Both make sense. The Colts are second in the league in cap space at $86.1 million, per Over the Cap. The Titans are further behind but still have $50.4 million to burn, good enough for 11th in the league.

The Titans and Colts finished 14th and 21st, respectively, in adjusted sack rate, per Football Outsiders. 

There's room for improvement there, but Tennessee and Indianapolis will likely need better pass-rushing results to make deep playoff runs in a conference currently dominated by a group of talented young quarterbacks in the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson, the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and the Houston Texans' Deshaun Watson.

Clowney could also just stay in Seattle, a location that he "loves," per Hawks head coach Pete Carroll (h/t Gregg Bell of the News Tribune).

We'll soon find out where Clowney heads, as the free-agency period officially begins March 18 at 4 p.m. ET.