Jadeveon Clowney Explains Why He Views His Contract as a 'One-Year Deal'

Carolina Panthers veteran linebacker Jadeveon Clowney is taking things one day, one week, one season at a time.

Jadeveon Clowney finally has some stability after a string of one-year deals. Earlier this offseason, he inked a two-year deal to return to his home area to play for the Carolina Panthers.

Despite putting an end to the streak of one-year deals, Clowney understands how the league works and how what’s been agreed upon doesn’t guarantee much of anything beyond the current season.

“It’s really a one year (deal). Everybody’s contract, to me, is year to year. Anything can happen in this league. I can go back upstairs and ask for another contract after this year. To me, it’s one year. I don’t want to be out of the league. My next thing is making sure I stay here for next year. I’m working on next year’s contract. Every year I sign, I work for the next contract. I don’t work for the year I just got paid.”

Should the 31-year-old duplicate the production he had in Baltimore in 2023, it’s safe to say he’ll be around in Carolina for 2024 and perhaps longer since the Panthers don’t have an intriguing young option off the edge at the moment. The question then becomes, how much longer is he willing to go?

“I feel great right now,” Clowney told reporters on Tuesday. “I’ll play as many more years as I can get out my bed and have fun. Ain’t in no rush to quit. Four or five (years)? Who knows?”

Injuries can happen in the blink of an eye and unfortunately, Clowney knows that all too well. He's battled through numerous things throughout his career which was a major factor in teams being unwilling to commit to anything longer than one year. If he can stay on the field, there's a strong possibility he can reach that elusive double digit sack season given that he came within one sack of accomplishing that feat twice during his time in Houston, in a comparable defense.

“It kind of reminds me of my Houston scheme and I like it because I played well in that scheme for four or five years. It’s similar to what we did in Houston, we just don’t call it the same. It’s the exact same coverage and everything and I’m doing the same thing. It’s just the terminology that’s a lot different.”

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