The New York Giants reportedly aren’t willing to provide Jadeveon Clowney with a significant payday due to his injury history.
On the defensive side of the ball, it’s clear the New York Giants desperately need a big-time edge rusher. Whether they acquire one through the draft or free agency, Big Blue needs someone who can bring down the opposing quarterback with consistency.
Coincidentally, Jadeveon Clowney is on the market this offseason. The three-time Pro Bowler’s contract with the Seattle Seahawks has expired and he’s yet to ink a new deal. The Giants seem like they’re at a stalemate with the potential signing of Markus Golden, so there’s still the slight chance they could seek someone like Clowney.
But according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY, the Giants aren’t really willing to meet Clowney’s needs. Vacchiano writes that Big Blue is “very wary of making a big-money commitment to a player with that kind of injury history,” per sources.
In his six-year career, Clowney has played a full 16-game season just once (2017). Setbacks to his hip and groin caused him to miss a trio of matchups last year.
A big part of acquiring free agents also has to do with the “performance vs. price tag” ratio. With Clowney, those two components don’t really mesh well.
Vacchiano reported in March that Clowney could’ve been seeking around $22-23 million per year, but that value has since moved closer to the $17-18 million range, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini. That would put his average value around what Cam Jordan ($17.5 million) and Yannick Ngakoue ($17.79 million) are making annually.
As we continue to watch the market for Jadeveon Clowney, I am told by several sources the asking price has been moved off that $20mil+ number and it’s closer to $17-18mil. This could spark more interest. Also told Titans and Seahawks are still “interested”
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) April 1, 2020
As far as his on-field performance is concerned, Clowney didn’t play up to his expectations in 2019. He recorded just three sacks. On top of that, he’s never reached the double-digit sack mark in any season.
Simply speaking, he believes he’s worth more than he actually is. That production didn’t match up to an annual value of $22-23 million and still arguably doesn’t match up to the newly reported range.
Even if the Giants were willing to dish out a significant amount of cash to acquire him, it would be nearly impossible from a financial standpoint. According to Over The Cap, the Giants possess nearly $18.25 million in cap space as of Thursday night and they’ll likely want to keep around $8-10 million for in-season emergencies and rookies.
