GLENDALE, ARIZONA – SEPTEMBER 29: Outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney #90 of the Seattle Seahawks (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
Jadeveon Clowney might be headed to the Jets.
Lost in the Jamal Adams trade that sent the All-Pro safety to the Seattle Seahawks was the fact that the New York Jets acquired Bradley McDougald, a reliable veteran who picked off five passes in the last two seasons, in addition to the haul of draft picks. McDougald, who apparently doubles as a master negotiator, might entice another well-known defensive player to join Gang Green.
McDougald showed that he caught up with free-agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who played alongside McDougald in Seattle last season, via FaceTime. McDougald claims that Clowney told Joe Douglas, Adam Gase and the Jets to “come get him.”
Jadeveon Clowney makes sense for the Jets schematically.
Gregg Williams was missing that hand in the dirt pass rusher off the edge that makes his 4-3 scheme so difficult to get air against, and Clowney could fill that hole more effectively than the likes of Jordan Jenkins and Tarell Basham.
While Clowney mustered just three sacks last year and failed to make the Pro Bowl after three consecutive trips, the amount of double-teams, third-highest among edge rushers, prevented him from dominating as a pass rusher. Even with that, Clowney had the second-highest pressure rating of his career.
The Jets, who were hesitant to give Adams a huge contract, would look extremely hypocritical if they gave Clowney a multi-year deal, but this might be the best chance they have to give their pass rush the juice it needs.
There are some roadblocks on the financial end of things that can prevent this deal from getting done, but the Jets need a pass rusher as badly as anyone in the league, and Clowney is the best on the market. If they can pull this off, and if Gase doesn’t chase away a star for the fifth time, Clowney and Quinnen Williams could give the Jets one of the league’s more interesting defensive lines over the course of the next few years.