{"id":772958,"date":"2026-02-24T10:07:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T10:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/772958\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T10:07:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T10:07:29","slug":"as-cowboys-make-early-free-agency-moves-where-do-things-stand-with-jadeveon-clowney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/772958\/","title":{"rendered":"As Cowboys make early free agency moves, where do things stand with Jadeveon Clowney?"},"content":{"rendered":"

INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 The Cowboys<\/a> have already agreed to terms with running back Javonte Williams<\/a>. They have their sights set on a deal with restricted free agent kicker Brandon Aubrey<\/a>. Whether he likes it or not, wide receiver George Pickens, an inevitable recipient of the team\u2019s lone franchise tag<\/a>, appears to be going nowhere. <\/p>\n

But what about Cowboys defensive end Jadeveon Clowney<\/a>? That decision might not be as obvious. <\/p>\n

Clowney is an interesting case. He didn\u2019t sign with the Cowboys until after the season began. He started slow, but finished fast<\/a>. He had 4.5 sacks over the team\u2019s final two games, bringing his season total to a team-high 8.5. His one-year, $3.5 million deal proved to be a worthwhile investment. <\/p>\n

Clowney also impressed with his leadership and his tutelage of younger pass rushers, including last year\u2019s second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku. <\/p>\n

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The Cowboys were Clowney\u2019s fourth team in four years. It went so well this season, however, that Cowboys players made it clear after the season they wanted him back for another go. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need him. We want him,\u201d Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said of Clowney and his future after the season finale, where he finished with three sacks. \u201cHe goes out and makes a game like this and it\u2019s like, \u2018Damn bro, you\u2019re making the price high.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

But how high can the price go for a 33-year-old journeyman pass rusher? The Cowboys might be willing to find out before they make the first move. <\/p>\n

Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones was asked by The Dallas Morning News if they would be willing to let Clowney hit free agency so they could determine what his market looks like. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to see how all that works,\u201d Jones said Monday from Indianapolis. \u201cThe other thing we\u2019re going through, because our 100% focus has been on hiring the defensive staff, is now, what is their vision for every player? And how do the players that we\u2019ve had here fit, and how do other players around the league that might be free fit? And how do players that we might acquire fit? All those are things that we\u2019re really just now getting to … we had our first personnel meeting just last week. It\u2019s a work in progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones was then asked specifically if Clowney is a fit in new defensive coordinator Christian Parker\u2019s vision.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a work in progress,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Clowney has a market value that\u2019s worth $5.7 million per year, according to Spotrac. Whether he actually hits that number in free agency remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s at least one fan of Clowney in the Cowboys\u2019 front office. Team owner Jerry Jones<\/a> went out of his way to sing the praises of Clowney while speaking with a few reporters from a high-rise bar in San Francisco prior to the Super Bowl. He said Clowney may have started late with the Cowboys, but he handled his business well. Clowney did so well that Jones said he gives the Cowboys \u201cflexibility\u201d on whether they needed to use a draft pick on an edge rusher early. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was very impressive,\u201d Jerry Jones said. <\/p>\n

But impressive enough to sign before free agency? That\u2019s not as obvious with less than a month before free agency begins. <\/p>\n

Clowney is certain, however, he has more in the tank. He even said he was looking forward to going to training camp this year unlike last year \u2014 a comment that\u2019s not common for veterans of his stature.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to go sit on my couch,\u201d Clowney said in December about this upcoming offseason. \u201dI\u2019m going to stay ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s with the Cowboys or not.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>How the Dallas Cowboys plan to create salary cap space this offseason<\/a><\/p>\n

The Cowboys are in the process of creating cap space to help facilitate multiple maneuvers in the coming months. <\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>From Cowboys\u2019 perspective, availability is the top priority for DeMarvion Overshown<\/a><\/p>\n

The former third-round pick from Texas has undergone surgeries to both knees and played in just 19 games across three seasons.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>Everyone knows Cowboys were \u2018historically bad on defense.\u2019 But how will they fix it?<\/a><\/p>\n

Dallas has already overhauled the team\u2019s defensive coaching staff this offseason. <\/p>\n

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 The Cowboys have already agreed to terms with running back Javonte Williams. They have their sights…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":772959,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2066],"tags":[2009,230,1370,229,257,2461,7,4893,2883,6,15,9,2884],"class_list":["post-772958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas-cowboys","tag-brief","tag-cowboys","tag-dak-prescott","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-dallascowboys","tag-football","tag-jadeveon-clowney","tag-jerry-jones","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-draft","tag-sports","tag-stephen-jones"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116125057220795672","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=772958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/772959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=772958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=772958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=772958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}