There’s one silver lining to the Patriots’ rash of opt-outs for the 2020 season: New England suddenly has a boatload of salary cap space.
Now, how exactly will Bill Belichick use this newfound wealth? Really, that’s anyone’s guess.
Some Patriots fans on social media immediately began clamoring for New England to sign Jadeveon Clowney, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who remains a free agent after spending 2019 with the Seattle Seahawks.
But Michael Lombardi, a former NFL executive who worked alongside Belichick with both the Patriots and Cleveland Browns, believes those folks should pump the brakes.
“Clowney’s not a fit for New England whatsoever. He just doesn’t fit there,” Lombardi said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “The way he rushes the passer. He doesn’t practice on Wednesday. He doesn’t practice on Thursday. Maybe he can practice on Friday based on his injuries and with his knee. There’s no chance he has anyway of playing for New England. It’s a complete no fit.”
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Former front office executive with the #Patriots @mlombardiNFL stopped by to chat with @OfficialAJHawk while I'm traveling
"Clowney's not a fit for New England whatsoever. The way he rushes the passer.. There's no chance" #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/pFcP9GlLBV
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 28, 2020
The Patriots’ defense will look much different in 2020 after several New England players — including linebacker Dont’a Hightower and safety Patrick Chung — on Tuesday elected to opt out of the upcoming NFL campaign amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clowney, who spent his first five seasons with the Houston Texans after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2014, certainly could improve New England’s pass rush. But The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported Tuesday morning the Patriots hadn’t yet reached out to the 27-year-old. And that might not change if they agree with Lombardi, who also wonders how signing Clowney would affect New England’s locker room dynamic.
“I think it’s going to be hard for them to go after any player after they gave no signing bonus to Cam Newton,” Lombardi said. “Knowing Coach Belichick as well as I do, he has great respect for the integrity of the locker room. So, he’s not going to pay some player a lot of money and then look at Cam Newton and not pay him any signing bonus. If they redo Cam Newton’s contract now, before he even gets started, then I think it’ll tell you they’re gonna sign a player.”
It’s been an interesting offseason for the Patriots, who lost Tom Brady to free agency and traded Rob Gronkowski to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the tight end decided to come out of retirement. So, perhaps we shouldn’t rule out anything, even if Clowney is an imperfect fit for New England.
