Browns DE Jadeveon Clowney Almost Signed with Falcons

Clowney signed a one-year deal with Cleveland this offseason.

The Atlanta Falcons needed some help to improve the defensive line this offseason, and they nearly got that help in former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney.

Clowney opted to return to the Cleveland Browns after signing a $10 million contract earlier this offseason.

Clowney's signing came just weeks after the Browns stunned the entire league and traded for quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans.

The Falcons were considered finalists in the Watson sweepstakes along with the New Orleans Saints, but the Browns ultimately won out after offering him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, the richest guaranteed deal in NFL history.

Clowney spoke with Cleveland media Thursday and explained that he was basing his free agency off where Watson went.

"I was all about where my boy Deshaun [Watson] was going," Clowney said.

Clowney and Watson became good friends once Watson was drafted by the Texans in 2017. The pair were teammates in Houston for two years before Clowney was traded to the Seattle Seahawks ahead of the 2019 season.

According to 92.3 The Fan, Clowney "probably" would have ended up with the Falcons had Watson been traded to Atlanta.

Instead, the Falcons have improved their pass rush by signing Lorenzo Carter in free agency and selecting Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone in the draft.

Clowney, who recorded nine sacks in his first season with the Browns, would have helped try to overturn the league's worst pass rush from a year ago. But now, all Falcons fans can do is wonder "what if?"