Why the New York Jets should go get Jadeveon Clowney

The New York Jets have some needs on defense, and it would be worth paying the price to bring in Jadeveon Clowney.

One of the biggest storylines for the New York Jets so far has been their defense. Injuries have been piling up for the Jets defense since the start of camp. The two most noticeable injuries have been cornerback Trumaine Johnson pulling his hamstring, and linebacker Avery Williamson tearing his ACL against the Falcons in the second preseason game.

Johnson will be able to play this season once he gets healthy, but losing a player like Williamson who is a leader in the locker room for the whole year is a tough blow for the Jets. In addition to these injuries, there are some glaring weaknesses in the secondary and in generating a pass rush from the outside.

An outside pass rush has been a concern for a while now and it would be smart if the Jets can somehow pull off a trade for Houston Texans linebacker Jadeveon Clowney. One of the ways the Jets can try to fix their cornerback problem aside from getting a good cornerback is to beef up there pass rush.

Clowney, 26, was franchised tagged by the Texans back in March. Hoping that he would get a long-term deal with Houston, Clowney has not signed his franchise tender yet and has not reported to training camp. NFL Network insider Ian Rappaport reported on the situation, “From what I understand, the tentative plan is to show up after the third preseason game they play the Cowboys in late August.”

Because Clowney could not get a longterm deal done with the Texans Clowney will have to play on his one year $15.97 million franchise tag.

Why should the Jets trade for him? Clowney is only 26 years old and is in the prime of his career. He is also coming off a Pro Bowl season where he had nine sacks and 21 QB hits. Clowney would be a big upgrade at the linebacker/defensive end positions and would potentially give the Jets a serious pass rush on defense.

ESPN Jets beat reporter Rich Cimini had this to say about the possible Clowney trade:

“The most intriguing aspect of a potential Clowney trade is the Jets could use him for a year, then flip him with a tag-and-trade next March, perhaps recouping what they surrendered in the original trade. This would make a trade worth considering if it doesn’t include their 2020 first-round pick (and if they’re willing to gamble with Williams and free agency), but the whole thing seems unrealistic unless Houston holds a fire sale.”

A potential trade for Clowney can benefit the Jets big time but if they trade for Clowney the Jets might have to do a few things to accommodate Clowney’s contract.

For starters, Clowney’s tender is worth $15.97 million and the Jets only have $14.6 million in salary-cap space, per OverTheCap.com which means either the Jets will have to renegotiate Clowney’s contract or possibly cut players to free up cap space.