Jadeveon Clowney Played His Free Agency All Wrong

Remember when edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney was supposed to be the most sought-after free agent on the open market in 2020? Good times.

That hasn't been the case, as the former Houston Texan and Seattle Seahawk remains on the open market a full week after the opening of the new league year. In all honesty, Clowney has no one to blame but himself for this situation.

Given that Clowney was expecting more than half of the league to be in hot pursuit of his services, the former 2014 first-overall pick got rather picky in his demands. Clowney wanted a contract that would pay him over $20 million a year, which would put him alongside DeMarcus Lawrence and Frank Clark as the highest paid defensive ends in the league. Oh, and he only wanted to play for a contender.

Unfortunately for Clowney, no contender wants to cave into his demands. Clowney has never posted double-digit sacks in his entire career, and has had issues staying healthy throughout an NFL season. No team pushing for the playoffs would want to put themselves in cap hell to secure his services.

As for teams with plenty of cap space to fit Clowney's contract demands, the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and Cleveland Browns all stick out. And neither one of them are going to be competing in 2020. But hey, if Clowney wants to be the highest-paid edge rusher in the league, these are the only feasible destinations.

There's no middle ground for the three-time Pro Bowler. It's either win or cash-in. And we're going to quote the wise words of DJ Khaled to drive our point across to Clowney.

Congratulations, you played yourself.