The Carolina Panthers are getting younger on defense, and Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft could lead to a Jadeveon Clowney trade. The first-overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Clowney signed with the Carolina Panthers following a dominant 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens. Brought in to mitigate the loss of Brian Burns, Clowney couldn’t recapture his former magic in a new environment. While he wasn’t an active liability, his 5.5-sack season didn’t live up to expectations.
While he’s still on the roster as of this posting, his spot could be in jeopardy. The Panthers used their Day 2 picks on edge defenders, selecting Nic Scourton in the second round and Princely Umanmielen in the third. These two could make Jadeveon Clowney expendable, and General Manager Dan Morgan didn’t rule out a trade. In a recent article, Bleacher Report‘s Timothy Rapp listed the Las Vegas Raiders as one of the top fits for the three-time Pro Bowler.
Panthers would save $7.8M against the salary cap if they were to cut Clowney with $6M in dead money, per Over the Cap.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) April 26, 2025
Panthers, Raiders Could Agree to Jadeveon Clowney Trade
The Las Vegas Raiders face the misfortune of playing in what may be the most competitive division in football. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are easily the biggest threat, as the team has won two of the past three Super Bowls and made it to at least the AFC Championship Game every year since 2018. However, they’re far from the only threatening roster in the division. Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers are on the rise, as are Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos. All three teams made the playoffs last year and, on paper, improved their rosters heading into 2025.
The Raiders improved as well, but they haven’t done enough to close the gap. Pete Carroll is a better head coach than Antonio Pierce, and Geno Smith is a massive upgrade on Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. Perhaps this team can push for the final Wild Card spot, but they won’t be good enough to fight for the AFC West. Jadeveon Clowney won’t single-handedly power this team to contention, but the trade candidate could form a ferocious duo with superstar Maxx Crosby. The only question is what it would cost to acquire the former first-overall pick.
Possible Deal
Jadeveon Clowney was a great player in his day, but it’s hard to envision the Panthers getting a large return in a trade. The pass rusher is nothing more than a solid starter at this stage in his career and is entering his age-32 season, so he likely doesn’t have much left in his tank. Given his relatively high cap hit of $9.75 million for the acquiring team, we can assume the Raiders won’t give up anything more than a very late-round pick for his services.
As of this posting, the Panthers have five picks in the final four rounds: two in the fourth, two in the fifth, and one in the sixth. The Raiders, meanwhile, have six: two fourth-round picks, three sixth-round picks, and one seventh-round pick. Seeing as both teams already have several late-round selections, don’t be surprised if the two teams swap picks in a Jadeveon Clowney trade. Perhaps the Panthers can send the 208th pick and Clowney to the Raiders in exchange for the 180th selection.
Main Photo: Brett Davis – Imagn Images
