Free agent Jadeveon Clowney is willing to roll the dice to wait for a massive payday.
According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher turned down an offer from the Dolphins earlier this offseason that would have paid him $17 million a season.
The Dolphins moved on and inked defensive ends Emmanuel Ogbah and Shaq Lawson at the end of last week.
Clowney, 27, has been regarded as one of the top targets during this free agency period. He hopes to earn $20 million a year, a figure that would put him in line with the salaries of the Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence and Bears’ Khalil Mack.
“No one has met Clowney’s price or even, from what I understand, really come close to it,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Monday. “So at this point it seems he is willing to wait for the right deal.”
The indefinite suspension of NFL physicals in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic could be a possible deterrent for the oft-injured Clowney, who recently underwent surgery for a core injury.
This was the second time the Dolphins made an unsuccessful bid for the former No. 1 overall pick. The team reportedly discussed a trade with the Texans after they had exercised the non-exclusive franchise tag on their defensive end in 2019. Instead, he was traded to Seattle and recorded three sacks, 21 tackles and four forced fumbles in 13 games played.
“I know the Seahawks would like to bring him back, they have not yet met his price either,” Rapoport said. “I don’t get the sense Clowney is in a rush to do a deal.”
The University of South Carolina product was hampered by injuries in college, but shined at the 2014 NFL Combine, recording the top 40-yard dash time among defensive linemen of 4.53 seconds and was taken with the No. 1 pick by the Texans.
Clowney played in four games in his rookie year due to a torn meniscus and microfractures in his knee, immediately prompting concerns about long-term durability. He underwent knee surgery again at the end of the 2017 season.
In six seasons in the NFL, he has played in all 16 games just once (2017).
The Giants have been discussed as a potential landing spot for Clowney, a scenario which would involve rescinding Leonard Williams’ franchise tag.