NFL Vetoed Clowney to Saints Deal

Did you hear? The NFL vetoed Clowney to Saints deal. Why? Find out below. The New Orleans Saints tried everything they could to land free-agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, but ultimately lost him to the Tennessee Titans, who signed him to a one-year deal.

However, head coach Sean Payton confirmed on Monday that they likely would have signed the coveted free agent. If the NFL hadn’t stepped in to prevent them from doing so.

The Saints had planned on having another team do a sign-and-trade deal for Clowney to help them fit his salary under the cap. Which is a common practice in the NBA. However, the NFL said such a deal would not be allowed.

“We felt like we got close,” Payton said. “We weren’t able to match the money. That’s one of the challenges each year, when you’re going after a player — what type of place do you have. [General manager] Mickey [Loomis] and [vice president of football administration] Khai [Harley] and those guys did a great job of really spending time with his representation. In the meantime, we had a good visit when we went out to see him.

Why Did the NFL Vetoed Clowney to Saints Deal

“And it was one thought, just creatively relative to, essentially, having a team sign a player, take some of the financial burden away from the team they trade him to, and essentially then get a draft pick back.”

Payton added that at first, the NFL’s reaction to the deal “was very positive; and then, ultimately, they decided against it. So we move forward.”

According to the NFL Network, the Saints were prepared to send a second-round pick and a player to the unspecified team. However, a source said it never got to the point of a finalized offer, since they reached out to the league for permission first.