By: Jake Rajala

It was once seen as a mythical situation when Jadeveon Clowney was drafted to play across from J.J. Watt in the 2014 NFL draft. Clowney, who once shook the earth with his hit against Michigan running back Vincent Smith, played his first five seasons with the Texans. The former first overall pick made five Pro Bowls and recorded two nine-plus sack seasons in Texas.

Clowney was acquired by Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks on August 31st of 2019. The 6’7 pass rusher that runs a 4.53 40 yard dash was tasked with helping the Seahawks defense complement the gifted Russell Wilson. In the 2020 offseason, Clowney decided to leave to the Tennesee Titans and prove himself on a one-year deal. The hyped-up defender fell flat and ousted 0 sacks in eight games.

The unsteady 28-year-old left to the Cleveland Browns in the 2021 free agency and decided to bet on himself again. He took a one-year deal to play across from the Top 3 DE Myles Garrett. Clowney’s decision paid off, as notched nine sacks, 11 Tackles For Loss, and 19 QB hits.

Clowney should really look to cash in after a positive season with the Browns and his best opportunity could even be to remain in Cleveland. I expect the Browns to be the top destination, as they are very familiar with his craft and financially able to secure him long-term. With that said, where else could he go next? Well, here are all the top landing spots for Clowney.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns are ranked 12th in cap space, plus they will likely not have to worry about extending Baker Mayfield. They have the resources lined up to extend Clowney. It’s clear that Garrett and Clowney are like Batman and Robin, as well (25 combined sacks). It’s nicely illustrated how General Manager Andrew Berry has spoken highly of him. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, he said: “JD had a really good season for us, was very productive run and pass and a disruptive player”.

Clowney chose to go to the Browns in the last offseason when he had many options and offers. I expect the Browns to be the best combination of fit, culture, and money for him again in the 2022 offseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Clowney could upgrade his defensive end partner by going from Myles Garrett to the 2021 Defensive Player of The Year T.J. Watt. It would also be poetic if Clowney went from playing with J.J. to chasing QBs with T.J. The Pittsburgh defense would be in strong contention to the NFL’s top unit with Watt, Clowney, and Cameron Hayward upfront.

They need to find their future QB, but they could look at adding Clowney to a defense that was eventually torched by Patrick Mahomes in the AFC playoffs. The Steelers also have the ninth most cap space with roughly $33 million. I don’t expect the Steelers to rebuild after Big Ben announced his retirement. They have a plethora of talent on offense surrounding the QB (Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson, Najee Harris) and they have aging, elite profiles on defense. Mike Tomlin can rebuild retool and Clowney can be a big part of the puzzle moving forward.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers need extra fuel to make it into the AFC playoffs and Clowney could be that spark. The Chargers defense needs a partner for Joey Bosa and they haven’t had one since Melvin Ingram left. Bosa recorded 10.5 sacks in 2021, but it didn’t stop the Chargers from ranking 20th in sacks on the season. It’s also a bad sight if they struggle at obtaining sacks if they play in a division with Patrick Mahomes.

Brandon Staley’s team carries the second-most cap space with roughly $57.5 million, per “Over The Cap”. They could look at adding a prolific weapon for Herbert like Robert Gronkowski while adding an elite presence like Clowney on defense. The former Brown has to be intrigued by the long-term potential of the Chargers with Justin Herbert, who threw for 5,014 yards, 38 passing touchdowns, and holds a 66.2 completion percentage. The Chargers are a talented team that could make a jump similar to the boost that the Cincinnati Bengals made if the LA squad adds more explosion for Herbert and behemoths on defense. The Bengals brought in Trey Hendrickson and Ja’Marr Chase last offseason. It may be time for LA to add Clowney and a shiny new toy for Herbert.

Honorable Mention:

Denver Broncos

The Broncos have a lot of money (sixth in cap space), they’re on the verge of making the playoffs, and they need a replacement for the great Von Miller. Clowney (29 years old) can be the edge rusher that they need to fill in the shoes of the soon to be 33 year old Miller for the next few seasons. Bradley Chubb also hasn’t been earth-shattering over the past few seasons. He picked up 1 sack in 2019, 7.5 sacks in 2020, and 0 sacks in 2021. They could use a titan-like figure on their front seven to complement the NFL’s top secondary on the backend. If they acquire Aaron Rodgers (and Davante Adams?) or a different elite QB, it would make a lot of sense if the combination of cap space and talent fascinated Clowney’s interest.

Kansas City Chiefs

Every team in the AFC West would be a logical landing spot for the skillset Clowney presents. The Chiefs need more firepower on defense, particularly explosive players that stay onsides (cough, cough, Dee Ford). Clowney can replace Melvin Ingram (1 sack in 2021) and help Patrick Mahomes get their evasive second Super Bowl trophy. Andy Reid’s team doesn’t have a ton of cap money (21st in the league), but Clowney could take less money to help Kansas City become a true dynasty NFL team. The Los Angeles Rams brought in Von Miller to help them win Super Bowl LVI and it obviously paid off. Clowney can be the final chess piece that the Chiefs need to at least get one more Super Bowl down the line.

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