Coming off of a 6-11 season, the San Francisco 49ers are reloading ahead of the 2025 season. A mass exodus in free agency saw a number of key players depart, notably Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, Deebo Samuel and others. And while the 49ers were aggressive in the draft trying to find viable replacements for their lost stars, they could still look to make a move ahead of the season.
And one move that could be in play for the 49ers is trying to acquire Carolina Panthers pass rusher, Jadeveon Clowney. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft and a three-time Pro Bowler, Clowney could be the perfect veteran to complement Nick Bosa and give the Niners another elite edge rusher. The 49ers used their first round pick on an edge rusher this year, selecting Georgia’s Mykel Williams. but adding an established veteran could be an intriguing thought.
Bleacher Report Suggests That The 49ers Could Add Clowney
In an article written by Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay, 4 NFL Trades That Should Still Happen Before The 2025 NFL Season, a Clowney trade to the 49ers could be beneficial. While he acknowledges that the 32-year-old Clowney is not the same elite player that he was earlier in his career, he can still provide serviceable production that could help the 49ers.
“The San Francisco 49ers could be in the market for Clowney,” Kay said. “There has been a clear need in the Bay Area to assist superstar Nick Bosa in the defensive trenches. The team didn’t shy away from addressing that issue during the 2025 draft—utilizing a first-round pick to nab edge-rusher Mykel Williams—but San Francisco could use more veterans in the mix to build out the type of deep, talented pass-rushing rotation that propelled the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl last season.”
Clowney signed a two-year contract with the Panthers prior to last season, but with the team rebuilding with young guys, he may no longer fit the mold of the current team. And after the Panthers selected two edge rushers in Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen in the draft, Clowney may end up being the odd man out.
How The 49ers Could Pull This Off
With nearly $47 million in cap space, the 49ers have enough money to pull off this move– even though they are preparing to allocate most of that towards a Brock Purdy extension. And even though Clowney counts for around $14 million towards the Panthers’ salary cap space, the 49ers could restructure his contract if they land him in order to make him more affordable. But in terms of his value, the franchise would likely not have to give up much, with Kay adding that later round draft picks would most likely be the asking price.
“San Francisco can easily fit in Clowney’s contract and should only have to cough up Day 3 capital to get a deal done,” Kay said.
Recording 5.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss last season, Clowney still puts up solid numbers for his position though and could be the type of player that the Panthers will make hard to get. But if the 49ers are able to add a guy like Clowney and take the pressure off of the rookies, then they may be in for more success than expected in 2025.
