NFL Free Agents 2020: Latest Rumors on Vonn Bell, Jadeveon Clowney and More

The 2020 edition of NFL free agency keeps rolling along.

With the first week of action in the rear view, the market period is entering its second wave. While this stage of free agency doesn't carry as much excitement as the initial wave, plenty of quality players are still available.

In fact, a few high-end starters remain on the open market. Edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney is probably the biggest name, but he's far from the only player who could become an impact signing.

Here, we'll examine some of the latest buzz surrounding free agency as it enters its second week.

Vonn Bell

Though safety Vonn Bell isn't as close to being a household name as Clowney, the former Ohio State standout is still a solid strong safety. He started all 13 games in which he appeared last season, finishing with 89 tackles, five passes defended, an interception and two forced fumbles.

The New Orleans Saints had interest in retaining the 25-year-old, and the rival Carolina Panthers have interest in signing him, according to ESPN's Josina Anderson:

A return to New Orleans is now highly unlikely, as the Saints signed safeties Malcolm Jenkins and D.J. Swearinger in free agency. They did make Bell an offer, though. According to The Athletic's Nick Underhill, they then moved on to Jenkins before Bell had a chance to accept or decline it.

The move to secure Jenkins wasn't a surprise. As ESPN's Mike Triplett pointed out, coach Sean Payton viewed losing the 32-year-old in 2014 free agency as a mistake:

If the Saints are out on Bell, the Panthers may now have a better chance of adding him to their secondary.

Jadeveon Clowney

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

As previously mentioned, Clowney might be the most notable name remaining on the market—ranked eighth in Bleacher Report's top 50 free agents.

With pass-rushers such as Shaquil Barrett and Yannick Ngakoue getting the franchise tag, the 27-year-old was expected to be one of the most coveted sack artists on the market. However, he hasn't been drawing much interest at his desired price of $20 million per season.

Seattle offered less than that, and it may be the leader in the clubhouse.

"Per sources, the Seahawks began negotiating with his agent at the NFL Scouting Combine and initially offered him $18.5 million on a multi-year deal, but no teams have been willing to approach that threshold to this point," Corbin Smith of Seahawks Maven wrote.

The Seahawks' offer could be enough to secure a deal with Clowney soon—if he views it as a serious offer.

"There's some initial chatter on the NFL grapevine that Seattle could be in the process of working something out with Clowney," Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote. "It's possible, however, that Clowney's camp is putting that out there in an effort to drum up interest elsewhere."

Seattle has just over $20 million in cap space, according to Spotrac. If the Seahawks do re-sign Clowney, it will likely be their last significant signing of free agency.

Jameis Winston

Though former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston may not walk into a starting job this offseason, he's a noteworthy player because of his age (26) and his position. Young quarterbacks with upside don't often hit the free-agent market.

Winston has upside. He threw for an NFL-leading 5,109 yards in 2019 to go with 33 touchdown passes. However, he also tossed 30 interceptions, and his penchant for putting the ball in the opposition's hands is not a selling point.

"Talking to one general manager in the league who actually has a need at the quarterback position, he said the market for Jameis feels to him ice-cold," ESPN's Jeff Darlington said on SportsCenter.

According to Darlington, teams may not have an interest in the Florida State product until they're able to personally meet with him, which currently cannot happen due to the league's ban on travel and player meetings.

It isn't going to help Winston's case that the market for quarterbacks has shrunk in the past week. Tom Brady replaced him with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Teddy Bridgewater signed with the Carolina Panthers, and Philip Rivers landed with the Indianapolis Colts.

The chances of Winston landing a starting role in 2020 are slim, and it could take some time for him to earn another opportunity.