NFL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Jadeveon Clowney Contract, Cam Newton, More

With the 2020 NFL draft over, teams have turned their attention back to the free-agent market. Several notable veterans remain available, some with Pro Bowl ability.

Edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney remains one of the biggest names still floating on the open market. A three-time Pro Bowler, he is coming off a disappointing and injury-hampered season with the Seattle Seahawks. However, when healthy, the 27-year-old can be one of the biggest game-wreckers in the league.

The Seahawks are well aware of this, having seen the dominant version of Clowney a couple of times in 2019—most notably during their Week 10 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle has made it known that it is open to a reunion.

"If there's an opportunity that makes sense, we'll dive back in and pursue it," head coach Pete Carroll said, per Liz Mathews of Seahawks Wire.

That pursuit could be coming. According to John Clayton of ESPN 710 Seattle, the Seahawks' recent release of D.J. Fluker and Justin Britt may have been a precursor to a bigger Clowney contract offer.

ESPN's Dianna Russini reported last month that Clowney was seeking around $20 million per year. While Seattle isn't offering that, $16 million is nothing to sneeze at for a player looking to prove he is healthy and reestablish his market value.

If Clowney can come back and put together another Pro Bowl campaign, the money he's seeking will be there on the open market.

Patriots Out on Cam Newton

The New England Patriots need a quarterback after losing Tom Brady in free agency and not landing one in the draft. Former MVP Cam Newton is looking for a job. The pairing between these two would make plenty of sense, only, New England is reportedly not interested.

The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported last month that New England had zero interest in adding Newton. After the draft, he noted that the Patriots' stance has not changed:

If the Patriots are taking a hard stance against signing the 30-year-old, it could be a cap issue. According to Spotrac, New England has just over $2 million in cap space. That's not even backup-quarterback money, and Newton doesn't want to be a backup.

According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Newton is looking for a starting gig. The problem is that after the draft, there aren't many available—at least not for the long term.

If teams like the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers don't want to start their rookies right away, Newton would have to be willing to be a stopgap to be an option.

New England is one of the few teams without a clear long-term plan at quarterback. If the Patriots aren't interested in Newton, then he could struggle to find a starting job this season.

Packers Were In on Love Early

The Green Bay Packers won't be looking to start rookie quarterback Jordan Love this season—at least, not as long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy. However, it does appear that they had zeroed in on the quarterback early on draft night.

"They were adamant about getting a quarterback," NFL Media's Ian Rapoport said on Total Access. "... The Packers wanted Jordan Love so much so they actually had deals late in the first round to move up with the Seahawks. That obviously ended up not being necessary because they moved up ahead of them."

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Packers had considered deals with the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings, though a deal was ultimately struck with the Dolphins:

It could be some time before Green Bay makes the switch from Rodgers to Love.

The 36-year-old has four years remaining on his current contract. He also has more than $51 million remaining on his deal, though that amount drops to just $17.2 million in two years.

In two years, the window to reasonably trade or release Rodgers will open.