In 2024, the New York Jets had one of the best pass rushes in football, bringing down opposing quarterbacks on 7.62% of their dropbacks, which ranked seventh in the NFL.
So far this offseason, New York has only lost one edge rusher, Haason Reddick, who played 34.2% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2024 and finished the year with just 14 tackles and one sack before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this March.
To this point, the Jets haven’t made much of an effort to fill that hole, as their only addition on the edge has been Tyler Baron, who the team selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft out of Miami.
New Jets general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn may look to add another veteran before the start of the season, and Pro Football and Sports Network’s Cameron Sheath recently identified New York as a top landing spot for free-agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
Clowney, 32, played collegiately at South Carolina from 2011-13, earning All-SEC honors thrice and All-American honors twice during his time with the Gamecocks.
The Houston Texans selected Clowney with the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft and made him a starter right away. In five seasons with Houston, he made three Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team.
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Over the last six seasons, he’s bounced around the league, spending time with the Seattle Seahawks (2019), Tennessee Titans (2020), Cleveland Browns (2021-22), Baltimore Ravens (2023) and Carolina Panthers (2024).
Clowney inked a two-year, $20 million contract with Carolina last offseason and went on to record 46 tackles (nine for a loss), 11 quarterback hits, 5.5 sacks and four passes defensed in 14 games. Pro Football Focus gave him a 70.8 overall grade for his performance, ranking him 47th out of 211 edge rushers in 2024. He also received a 73.2 pass-rush grade (30th) and a 63.4 run-defense grade (84th).
With Carolina releasing Clowney on Thursday, the Jets could add him to an already impressive defensive front. The former top pick joining Quinnen Williams, Jermaine Johnson, Will McDonald IV and Derrick Nnadi could take New York’s pass rush to the next level and help the make the postseason for the first time in over a decade.
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