Clowney’s future in Carolina has been a speaking level this offseason, with the crew engaging in trade talks earlier than the draft. No deal was labored out in the course of the occasion, however the Panthers added a pair of edge-rushers on Day 2. Consequently, Clowney’s tenure remained removed from sure. Now, the previous No. 1 choose will face free company but once more.
2025 marked the ultimate 12 months of Clowney’s deal, the latest short-term accord in his journeyman NFL profession. This launch will generate $7.78M in cap financial savings whereas incurring a useless cash cost of $6M, presuming it’s not processed with a post-June 1 designation.
A Rock Hill, S.C., native and South Carolina alum, Clowney’s homecoming final spring set him as much as deal with a key function because the Panthers started the post-Brian Burns period alongside the sting. He began all 14 of his appearances, totaling 5.5 sacks alongside the best way. Carolina will transfer ahead with out him within the fold, although, with Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen on the books for the subsequent 4 years.
The Panthers have been broadly anticipated to focus on a defender with the No. 8 choose on this 12 months’s draft, and Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker have been nonetheless on the board after they have been on the clock. As an alternative, the crew went the receiver route by drafting Tetairoa McMillan. That call was based mostly partly on Carolina’s view that Day 2 offered better options alongside the sting than on the WR spot. The crew is actually assured its new additions on protection will have the ability to make an affect immediately, since efforts to land draft capital in return for Clowney have now ended.
The 32-year-old had one-and-done tenures with the Seahawks and Titans following his 5 years in Houston to start his profession. Clowney then spent two seasons in Cleveland, a stretch that included a downturn in manufacturing with solely a pair of sacks in 2022.
He loved a bounce-back marketing campaign with the Ravens the next 12 months, matching his profession excessive with 9.5 sacks. Baltimore was taken with retaining him, and the Jets have been available in the market as properly. In the long run, Carolina’s two-year provide received out, though that has proved to solely quantity to a one-year dedication.
The Panthers ranked final within the NFL in scoring and complete protection, and their 32 sacks positioned the crew twenty ninth within the league. Enchancment in that regard shall be a key objective, however Clowney is not going to play a task in that effort. He’ll now be a part of the likes of Von Miller, Za’Darius Smith and Matt Judon as veteran edge-rushers nonetheless in the marketplace.
