Dissecting the Hype - Will Jadeveon Clowney Wear Two-Toned Blue in 2020?

Jadeveon Clowney via ClutchPoints.com

Titans fans have been eagerly refreshing their social media feeds for weeks in the hopes of seeing Jadeveon Clowney sign with their team. However, the top-tier defensive end seems to be prolonging the conversation as much as he can. In fact, ESPN's Diana Russel reported that "...he is just not in a hurry to sign."

Clowney's original asking price was $20 million a year, but he promptly dropped it to 17 million after he had been on the market for three weeks. Both the Titans and the Seahawks are the top two teams in the running for landing Clowney. The teams have reportedly made numerous offers to the three-time pro-bowler, but he does not seem to be budging any time soon. According to CBS Sports's Jordan Dajani, "Both the Seahawks and Titans are two teams who believe they may be just one pass rusher away from a Super Bowl appearance, and Clowney is refusing to again lower his price tag."

With each day that extends this free-agency circus, I can't help but wonder if "Clowney Gate" is worth Jon Robinson's time. Sure, Clowney's ability to be defensively disruptive is not accurately reflected by his stats this past season. Last year, he had only 3 sacks. To put things in perspective, Jurrel Casey had 5 sacks in 2019 and 7 sacks in 2018. Clowney also snagged a pick-six in 2019, which evens out the comparison between him and Casey a bit. Throughout his six-year NFL career, Clowney has racked up a total of 32 sacks, 172 solo tackles, and one pick-six. Whether or not Clowney would be able to adequately fill Jurrell Casey's shoes is up for debate, but he seems to be the best option that the Titans have right now.

Also, Clowney's desire to hold out for this long could be an indicator of where his attitude lies. It's no secret that the defensive end has a history of being particularly picky. At the beginning of last season, he refused to be traded to the Dolphins. Yet, one thing is for sure: the man wants to win. Clowney himself felt that being sent to Miami meant that he would have been tanking for Tua. According to Sports Illustrated, he told Houston HC Bill O'Brien, "'Find me a team that can win, and I'll sign the damn tender." The Titans have already proved that they can be victorious on the field, so time will only tell if they will be able to win "Clowney Gate" as well.