Jets 'Highly Motivated' to Sign Ravens Free Agent Jadeveon Clowney
The Baltimore Ravens have been active in free agency with both losses and gains.
Another of the potential losses on defense is Jadeveon Clowney, after just one season in Charm City. Clowney came to the Ravens last August in free agency and appeared in all 17 games last season, starting 15.
He finished with 9.5 sacks, 43 total tackles (24 solo), five passes defended, and two forced fumbles.He recorded a sack in the Ravens' loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship. Clowney had somewhat of a comeback season with Baltimore last season and admittedly liked playing with the Ravens.
The New York Jets are reportedly "highly motivated" to bring Clowney into the fold per NFL Insider Jordan Schultz. Clowney has met with with the Jets already, and continues to get interest from the Carolina Panthers and ... from Baltimore.
And rightfully so. Per ProFootballFocus, Clowney was the No. 19 edge rusher in 2023.
"Clowney set career highs in pass-rush win rate and pressure rate while finishing
ninth among all edge players in run-stop rate (9.6%)," PFF's Lauren Gray
wrote. "He led Baltimore's edge group in total pressures (78), stops
(28) and tackles for loss or no gain (seven)."
The Ravens should consider bringing Clowney back after
impressing last season. There's also the matter of how happy Clowney
appeared at the end of the season, as told by Ravens coach John
Harbaugh, who ran across Clowney's agent at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“I just ran into the agent for Jadeveon Clowney,” Harbaugh told
baltimoreravens.com’s Garrett Downing in an interview at the combine.
“Just walking in the street and he grabbed me and I said, I told him I
loved him. I [asked], ‘What do you think? How’d he do this year?’ And he
goes, ‘This is the first year he’s ended the season happy.’ That says
so much right there. It says so much for everything, for everybody in
the organization. Maybe we can get him back. We’re going to try.”
Clowney, himself, indicated at the end of the season he enjoyed playing football again in Baltimore.
“Like I said, I enjoyed coming to work. It made my life a lot easier this
year,” Clowney said at locker room cleanout. “That’s probably why I
played at a high level because I [didn’t] have any pressure. I would
just come in, have fun and be yourself and just play ball.”