Clowney was due $8.525M in salary, $2M of which is guaranteed. Panthers explored a potential trade on draft week, as @DNewtonespn previously mentioned, and went heavy on pass rushers on Day 2 of draft.
Three-time Pro Bowler now a free agent. https://t.co/kx0vkLFlr5
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 8, 2025
The Carolina Panthers released defense end Jadeveon Clowney late on Thursday morning. After only one season in Charlotte, the veteran pass rush specialist will now be looking for a new NFL home, which will be the seventh of his career.
Or… will it? Could perhaps Clowney find his way back to a former team? Such as… the Seattle Seahawks?
Seattle is clearly open to reunions with former players, as evidenced by the fact they have met with cornerback Shaquill Griffin twice in the last two months. The Seahawks are also not turned off by age. Clowney turned 32-years-old this past February, which is almost a full year younger than DeMarcus Lawrence who was signed this offseason to a three-year deal.
Clowney may not be the game-changing talent he once was, or with the Seahawks during his lone season in 2019, but he still has some gas left in the tank. Last year for the Panthers, Clowney recorded 5.5 sacks and 46 total tackles during his 14 starts. He is also one year removed from 9.5 sacks with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.
Oh, speaking of Baltimore… who was Clowney’s defensive coordinator that year? Current Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald!
Signing Clowney back to the team would likely see him in a depth role. A player to come off the bench and keep giving relentless pressure to opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks. Clowney would be familiar with Macdonald’s system, and arguably the best way for Seattle to take the leap from good to great would be to make their defensive line truly suffocating. Teams could do a lot worse than Clowney in the rotation up front.