Jadeveon Clowney will get a multi-season contract after five seasons on one-year contracts. It will come from the Panthers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Clowney will get a $20 million, two-year contract from Carolina, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The deal has a $24MM maximum. The signing, which will return Clowney back to his hometown, was made public by the Panthers. After an outstanding career with the Gamecocks, the native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, rose to the top of the draft class and was selected first overall by the Panthers. He will have to assist a club that is rebuilding at edge rusher.

The Panthers may have prevailed over the AFC teams with a superior offer, but the Jets and Ravens were also interested in Clowney. Compared to his one-year, $2.5MM contract with the 2023 Ravens, which came to pass during training camp, Clowney will receive a considerably bigger deal. This is his first multiyear contract since his

Texans deal. rookie contract back in 2014.

Despite a rumor of the Jets’ intense interest in Clowney, Panthers general manager Dan Morgan stated this week that the team had not given up on him. Following the Brian Burns deal, the 31-year-old edge defender will join K’Lavon Chaisson and D.J. Wonnum as Carolina’s free agent acquisitions. Although none of these individuals is a pass rusher on par with Burns, Clowney just finished a season with 9.5 sacks, which is more than Burns had in 2023, and he has contributed to several teams.

With this deal, Clowney will put an end to a run of one-year contracts that dates back to his 2019 franchise tag season, even though he is not guaranteed to play for the Panthers after 2024. Clowney was tagged by the Texans but was later transferred to the Seahawks; the rules of the trade prevented Seattle from tagging the former South Carolina standout twice. That proved not to be a problem because Clowney has never demonstrated that he is a proficient pass rusher. After that, he inked one-year contracts with the Titans and the Browns, then, shortly before the 2018 season, he signed a low-cost agreement to join the Ravens.

While Clowney hasn’t exactly been a reliable pass rusher, he has occasionally played well in run defense and has the ability to provide pressure inside. The Ravens lead the NFL in scoring defense because to Clowney’s 19 QB hits, two forced fumbles, and recent career-high sack total. The 6-foot-5 defense was a target for the Ravens, and Clowney’s wife confirmed he had discussed a new contract with the AFC North team (via CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson). At that price, Baltimore was probably not as interested. Kyle Van Noy, who joined the team in late September and almost reached nine sacks, is still a target for Baltimore to re-sign.

Clowney has struggled with injuries; in Houston, knee problems have been especially problematic. He had a two-sack season in his second season with the Cleveland Browns and missed eight games for the Titans, ending a season without a sack. He also had a falling out with the Browns coaches. In contrast to Myles Garrett in 2021, Clowney managed to grab nine sacks. Despite having few sacks in 2022, Clowney was ranked 27th among edge rushers by Pro Football Focus, which is higher than his 18th-place ranking from the previous campaign. In 2023, Clowney was rated by PFF as one of the top-20 run defenses. Despite playing with the Texans for the entirety of his three Pro Bowl selections, Clowney has continued to be a quality player well into his early 30s.

During an early visit during free agency, two of the three edges have signed.In spite of Chase Young’s decision to sign with the Saints due to neck issues, Clowney and Wonnum will be vital components of Ejiro Evero’s defense in 2024. For five seasons, Burns led Carolina’s edge rush, with Yetur Gross-Matos—who signed a contract with the 49ers early in the free agency period—supplying sporadic backup duty. Frankie Luvu, a hybrid pass rusher, departed as well and joined the Commanders.

The Panthers are likely not done filling their edge positions, and given the position’s significant reliance on free agency, a draft selection would appear wise. However, Clowney offers the squad a flexible piece to use as it looks to bounce back from the disastrous 2-15 campaign from the previous season.