NY Jets hoping to sign this star pass rusher in free agency

Jadeveon Clowney is visiting with the Jets

Justin Fried

Jadeveon Clowney / Robin Alam/ISI Photos/GettyImages

While the NY Jets still have holes to fill on the offensive side of the ball, the team has prioritized building its defense this offseason, even with the departure of Bryce Huff. The Jets might have one more high-profile defensive trick up their sleeve as well.

Three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney is set to meet the Jets on an official free-agent visit this Tuesday. The Jets are looking for a cheaper replacement for the aforementioned Huff, and Clowney would be a fantastic addition.

The Jets are Clowney's second known free-agent visit so far this offseason after he visited with the Carolina Panthers on Thursday. The team could be looking to solidify a deal with him as soon as early next week.

The departure of Huff leaves a gaping hole in the Jets' front seven, and while the team expects 2023 first-round pick Will McDonald to pick up some of that slack, they clearly want to add another player to the mix.

Jadeveon Clowney would be an excellent NY Jets addition for the right price

Although he just turned 31 years old last month, Clowney has showed no signs of slowing down. In fact, it's almost flown under the radar how effective he's been in recent years.

Clowney might legitimately be coming off the best season of his career. The former No. 1 overall pick finished with 9.5 sacks and 71 pressures — both of which were career highs. He ranked 11th among all edge rushers in total pressures last season.

Clowney has also garnered a reputation as one of the best run-defending edge rushers during his time in the NFL. The South Carolina product finished with a 72.3 Pro Football Focus run-defense grade and 25 run stops in 2023.

This wouldn't be some mid-level signing — Clowney would legitimately be the second-best edge rusher on the Jets' roster, and you can very easily make an argument he would be the best. Yes, he's that good still.

Clowney's age and the fact that he's bounced around quite a bit in recent years likely diminish his value on the open market. Spotrac projects his market value at just one-year, $7.2 million — an incredibly affordable contract for a really good player.

Of course, the Jets absolutely have other needs to address, and they've already poured (arguably too many) resources into their defensive line this offseason. It would be hard to pass up that value, however.

The Jets are shopping around the edge rusher market, and Jadeveon Clowney seems to be their top target.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.