Jadeveon Clowney Rumors: Star DE Wants $20M Annual Salary in Free-Agent Contract

Jadeveon Clowney is still looking for his payday in free agency and teams reportedly aren't exactly ready to offer what he's asking for.

According to ESPN's Dianna Russini, front offices have been hesitant to reach the $20 million per year salary the defensive end is seeking:

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft is coming off a decent season with the Seattle Seahawks were he tallied 31 total tackles, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, three sacks and one interception.

According to Spotrac's Market Value tool, that $20 million per season request from Clowney isn't ridiculous by NFL standards—the site projects he's worth that much to teams and could sign in the area of six-years and $120.3 million. 

As Russini notes, though, other players of his caliber haven't been able to secure deals in that range, with Shaquil Barrett, Yannick Ngakoue and Bud Dupree all getting hit with the franchise tag. That leaves Clowney in a precarious position. 

At 27 years old, he's still young enough that a long-term deal makes sense, but he saw a significant drop off last year compared to his own standards. It was was the first time the South Carolina alum recorded fewer than four sacks and 40 tackles in a full season. Even still, he was named to the Pro Bowl as an alternate having already played in the game each year from 2016-18.

It's also worth noting how the Seahawks used Clowney after acquiring him from Houston for Jacob Martin, Barkevious Mingo and a third-round pick the 2020 NFL Draft. According to Pro Football Reference, Clowney played his lowest snap count since his sophomore season, lining up on 57 percent of the Seahawks' defensive snaps where Houston had been using him more than 80 percent of the time over the previous two seasons. 

There are still plenty of teams in need of a defensive lineman, including the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, but the reqest for $20 million per season appears to have complicated things. 

It'll be worth watching to see if Clowney lowers his asking price in the coming days or holds out for the deal he wants.