Former Houston Texans Pro Bowl pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney will shockingly play with a new team ahead of the 2025 season.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Carolina Panthers released the veteran defender. The 32-year-old Clowney just wrapped up his first season in Carolina after signing a two-year, $20 million contract.
After the 2025 NFL Draft wrapped up, ESPN’s David Newton reported that the Panthers had talks about moving the former No. 1 overall pick before the draft. Newton added that the option to trade him was still on the table.
The veteran defender played okay in his first and only year with the Panthers, recording 46 combined tackles, 11 quarterback hits, 9 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and four pass deflections.
However, the Panthers must’ve felt that his production wasn’t worth keeping him around with a $13.7 million cap hit for the 2025 season.
Before arriving in Carolina last offseason, Clowney spent the previous five years playing with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, and Seattle Seahawks.
The Pro Bowl defender began his career with the Texans, who selected him with the first overall pick in the 2014 draft. Clowney got off to a slow start, only playing four games as a rookie due to injury.
However, in his second year, Clowney had 40 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, eight QB hits, six pass deflections, and a forced fumble in 13 games. Over his next three years with the Texans, the former No. 1 overall pick started to come into his own.
Clowney posted 59 quarterback hits, 53 tackles for loss, and 24.5 sacks. He was also named to three consecutive Pro Bowls and the second-team All-Pro in 2016.
Based on his production last season in Carolina, it will be interesting to see where Clowney goes next. Is the veteran over the hill like it seemed in 2024, or still the capable pass-rusher who had 9.5 sacks in 2023 with the Ravens?