Jadeveon Clowney is going back to his roots. The veteran pass rusher has agreed to terms on a deal with the Carolina Panthers, the team officially announced Wednesday. Specifically, Clowney receives a two-year, $20 million deal that is worth up to $24 million, per CBS Sports HQ NFL insider Josina Anderson.
The 31-year-old had garnered interest across the NFL during this free-agent cycle with the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens being among the teams that checked in on the former No. 1 overall pick on top of Carolina. He previously visited with the Panthers and is now set to put pen to paper on a deal that will inject him into the NFC South.
This is a homecoming for Clowney, who has been in the league for the last decade. On top of being a Rock Hill native, the linebacker also starred at South Carolina where he was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2012 and now has his No. 7 retired by the Gamecocks.
Clowney joins a Panthers defense that is looking for pass-rushing help, especially after the franchise traded star linebacker Brian Burns to the New York Giants earlier this month. On top of Clowney, the club also brought aboard fellow linebackers K'Lavon Chaisson and D.J. Wonnum to help cushion the blow of losing Burns.
Clowney entered the NFL in 2014 as the first overall pick by the Houston Texans. He spent the first five years of his career with the franchise before he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in the summer of 2019. From there, Clowney had short stints with an array of teams, including the Titans (2020), Browns (2021-2022) and most recently the Baltimore Ravens (2023).
In 17 games played (15 starts) for the Ravens last regular season, Clowney matched his career-high of 9.5 sacks while notching 43 tackles, 19 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and five pass breakups.
