NY Jets lose out on free agent EDGE Jadeveon Clowney

The New York Jets will not be adding Clowney to their depth chart

The New York Jets lost out on one high-profile free-agent target. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jadeveon Clowney signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the Carolina Panthers. The deal also has $4 million in incentives.

Compensation update: Panthers are giving Jadeveon Clowney a two-year, $20 million deal worth up to $24 million, per sources. https://t.co/qRAd9w8W6D

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 27, 2024

The Jets made a push to sign Clowney in recent weeks. They met with him last week and were reportedly very interested in bringing him in. However, Clowney chose to go to Carolina.

There are two likely reasons for Clowney’s choice. The first is money. The Jets were seeking to give him under $10 million and probably a one-year deal. This contract gives him more security after his career year in 2023.

Additionally, Clowney projects to see more playing time with the Panthers. The Jets already rotate their defensive line heavily, and Clowney would have joined a group that had two starters in Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Myers and a third player in line for increased snaps in Will McDonald. Meanwhile, after losing Brian Burns, the Panthers are thin along the edge. Clowney projects to see a larger role than in 2023 when he played 57% of Baltimore’s snaps.

If the Jets want to bring in edge depth, their options are dwindling. Calais Campbell is still available, as are Kyle Van Noy, Yannick Ngakoue, Markus Golden, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Bud Dupree. None of those players are particularly inspiring.

Considering Robert Saleh’s preference for a five-man rotation along the edge, the Jets will likely make some move. If they don’t sign a free agent, they could surprise many and take an edge earlier in the draft than expected.

Still, losing out on Clowney is probably a positive for McDonald, whose playing time would have been cut by bringing in another starting edge defender. Instead, the 2023 first-round pick should get more of an opportunity to live up to his draft stock in his second season.