Raiders reportedly make offer to free agent Jadeveon Clowney

The Raiders have expressed optimism that the lure of Las Vegas and the friendly tax structure of Nevada will help attract free agents to sign with the team.

Those might be their best hopes in landing free agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

A report Monday indicated the Raiders had made an offer to the standout veteran, the prize of the remaining free agent class.

At least two teams are believed to have made more substantial monetary offers than the Raiders to the 27-year-old former first-round pick.

Nobody from the Raiders would confirm the report. An attempt to reach Clowney’s representatives was unsuccessful.

But according to an NFL source, the Raiders are intrigued by Clowney and will continue to monitor the situation. The source added: “I don’t think they believe they are in it.”

The Browns, Titans and Seahawks are believed to have at least shown interest in Clowney, with the Browns reportedly offering the most money.

The Raiders have just less than $8 million in cap space, according to the daily NFLPA cap tracker, but could rework other deals or make additional moves to create more.

According to Cecil Lammey of 104.3 The Fan in Denver, Raiders coach Jon Gruden is leading the charge to land Clowney and lobbying to up the ante. General manager Mike Mayock and owner Mark Davis have been more resolute in sticking to the team’s current offer.

The Raiders have invested a great deal of capital in the defensive front this offseason, signing defensive end Carl Nassib and linebackers Nick Kwiatkoski and Cory Littleton.

It was a clear effort to bolster a defense that finished No. 31 in the NFL in defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) last season.

There was speculation around the time of the draft that the Raiders were interested in pursuing Jaguars pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue in a trade.

The Raiders are still in the process of rebuilding their pass rush, going from 13 sacks in 2018 to No. 24 in the league with 32 last season.

Clowney could help, though he has never posted elite sack totals. The South Carolina product has 32 sacks in 75 games with a career-high 9½ in 2017 with the Texans, where he spent his first six seasons.

He had 31 tackles, three sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception in 13 games with Seattle last season as he continued to evolve as a dependable three-down defensive end.

Clowney was believed to be seeking upward of $20 million this offseason, though the market appeared to reject the asking price.

He has played through numerous nagging injuries, and several teams probably would like to get a better look at him, which has become a difficult process because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Clowney had surgery to repair a core muscle injury during the offseason.

The Seahawks added former Raiders defensive end Benson Manowa in April, but they hadn’t ruled out re-signing Clowney, who has reportedly lowered his asking price and is willing to do a short-term deal.

Clowney has not put a timetable on signing. Training camps are expected to open July 28.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.