Browns cut former No. 1 pick after two seasons.
Jadeveon Clowney is on the market for the fifth straight offseason. The Browns said they had let the defensive end go.
Last offseason, Clowney re-signed with the Browns. If he was on the roster on Friday, the Browns would have had to pay the defensive end more than $40M.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets that Clowney's second contract with the team was always meant to be a one-year deal.
The former first-overall pick helped improve his reputation in 2021 after a disappointing season with the Titans in which he had no sacks.
In 2021, Clowney played 14 games for Cleveland and started all of them. He had nine sacks, which was his best total since the 2018 season.
But in 2022, things got a little worse. In 12 games (10 starts), Clowney had only two sacks and four Quarterback hits, his lowest total since his four-game rookie season.
Also, Clowney was sent home by the team after he publicly questioned his playing time and hinted that he wouldn't be back in Cleveland for the 2023 season.
Later, the defensive lineman said he was sorry for what he had said, but it was pretty clear that Clowney's time in Cleveland was almost over.
Still, Clowney's background makes it likely that he'll find another job this offseason.
Even though his numbers were down, Clowney still finished as the 27th edge rusher out of 119 qualifiers on Pro Football Focus' list. The site gave him a high grade for his running defense.
The Browns also made it official that they've let safety John Johnson go. Back in February, we heard that the Browns were planning to let the veteran go.