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Mike Vrabel: Titans “have an offer out” for Jadeveon Clowney

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Jadeveon Clowney is still sitting on the free agent market and the Saints and Titans are stepping up their pursuit of the talented pass rusher. Which team can close the deal? Mike Florio and Charean Williams debate.

Last year, franchise-tagged defensive end Jadeveon Clowney skipped all offseason workouts, training camp, and the preseason before striking a deal that facilitated a Labor Day weekend trade from the Texans to the Seahawks. Clowney could be striking a Labor Day weekend deal for the second straight year.

We have an offer out,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel told reporters on Friday. “We’ve been in contact with Jadeveon . . . and his agent. That’s all I can report. And that’s all I really know.”

The Seahawks remain interested in a reunion with Clowney, and the Saints reportedly are making a big push to sign him.

The question remains this: At what price? Clowney has held firm in his effort to get more than $15 million on a one-year deal. With regular-season games approaching (and potential regular-season game checks permanently disappearing), Clowney may need to simply take the best offer he can find -- unless he’s willing to sit out.

From a team’s perspective, the risk is that Clowney will have injury issues, because he’s had them in the past. He’s more than five years removed from microfracture surgery, a knee procedure aimed at generating scar tissue that will simulate cartilage. Without cartilage, the knee enters a bone-on-bone situation. Last year, a core muscle/groin/sports hernia thing marred Clowney for much of the season.

But if he’s healthy, Clowney can be a very disruptive force, blowing holes in offensive lines and offensive game plans and allowing the rest of his teammates to make plays. He was a force of nature last year on a Monday night against the 49ers. If he can play like that consistently, he can be the difference between an early playoff exit and a Super Bowl appearance.

A fair compromise could be a sizable salary (maybe $10 million) with the ability to land between $15 million and $20 million based on playing time or statistics. Regardless, interest in Clowney currently is percolating. He could be landing with a new team soon.