The Cleveland Browns should switch focus from Jadeveon Clowney

The Cleveland Browns should finally move on from the Jadeveon Clowney negotiations.

The Cleveland Browns have been in a standstill with Jadeveon Clowney over a deal for some months now. Clowney has reportedly been offered contracts of various years, of amounts allegedly ranging from $12 million to $18 million. Yet, there is still no deal on the table that Clowney likes. Maybe the deals right, but the team is wrong? All the while, an effective, familiar and highly respected alternative remains on the market who makes as much sense for the Browns as Clowney does; Everson Griffen.

While Griffen is five years older than Clowney, he’ll demand less money, take fewer years, and has a far more proven track record as a pass rusher over the last five years than Clowney has. The move also makes sense logistically, as Griffen, like fellow ex-Viking-turned-Browns player Andrew Sendejo is familiar with Greg Stefanski and the systems he’s putting into place with the Browns.

So why the lack of interest?

There’s no guarantee that there is a lack of interest, yet when looking at how the Browns and Clowney constantly have rumors going up about them it’s not hard to assume there’s been some dialogue between those two. Yet, the Browns and Griffen? There’s been very little in the way of any rumors involving contracts or the like.

Clowney is younger, yet he’s also not as proven. Unlike Clowney, Griffen can play the run game as well as the pass, and yes he’s older but he’s also arguably better. This might be an Andrew Berry move more than anything, or maybe Stefanski just isn’t a fan of Griffen. That’s been an assumption since Stefanski landed in Cleveland, that he’d just poach all the Viking talent that he could.

That’s not to say that there are any issues between Stefanski and Griffen, for all we know they’re playing Words With Friends right now. It does raise a curious question about why there aren’t more leaks or rumors about the Browns pivoting to Griffen.

It’s time to move on from Clowney. His lack of interest is obvious. Let him take less elsewhere. Griffen should be the new choice.

Make it so.