Jadeveon Clowney signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans with days to go before the start of the 2020 season.
Many questioned why Clowney – who is considered to be one of the most fearsome pass rushers in the NFL – hadn’t signed with a team prior. Apparently, it wasn’t for lack of trying.
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said Monday the team was looking to do a sign-and-trade type of deal with another team for Clowney but the NFL nixed it. According to ESPN, the idea was for another team to sign Clowney and pay his signing bonus and then trade the remaining salary to New Orleans for a draft pick. The NFL has reportedly never allowed that type of deal.
“We felt like we got close,” Payton told reporters. “We weren't able to match the money and that's one of the challenges each year, when you're going after a player -- what type of place do you have. [General manager] Mickey [Loomis] and [vice president of football administration] Khai [Harley] and those guys did a great job of really spending time with his representation. In the meantime, we had a good visit when we went out to see him.
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“And it was one thought, just creatively relative to, essentially, having a team sign a player, take some of the financial burden away from the team they trade him to, and essentially then get a draft pick back.”
Pro Football Talk reported that the Baltimore Ravens were in talks of a similar deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Ravens would have reportedly beaten the Saints to the punch if the deal was allowed.
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Regardless, the Titans signed Clowney to a one-year deal. He had 31 tackles and three sacks for the Seattle Seahawks last season.