Jadeveon Clowney has a message for any team still thinking about signing him: He's healthy and ready to contribute.
"I don't know if people think I'm hurting because of what I went through because of the core [injury] or because [of injuries] in previous years," Clowney told Fox 26 in Houston on Tuesday. "But I just want to let people know I'm ready, and I'm gonna be ready to go whenever the time comes."
Clowney, the star defensive end who played for the Seattle Seahawks last season, said he thought that time would come when free agency opened some six weeks ago. But after initially being "fed up" with the lack of progress in early talks, Clowney said he has since taken a step back and operated without urgency.
"I've got a few [offers], but the process for me is really just weighing my options and taking my time," he told Fox 26. "I ain't in no rush right now. I know with what's going on right now in the world, with the coronavirus and everything, it's a slow process until teams really can see me and see what I got and give me physicals and everything.
"So I ain't in no rush. I'm just waiting on the right opportunity and the right timing for me."
In the meantime, Clowney said he has stayed focus on his rehab from core muscle surgery, which started two weeks after the procedure and consists of four sessions each week.
"I'm working. I'm staying ahead of schedule and working, and I'm going to be ready to go when training camp starts," he said.
Where that training camp will be remains to be seen, but Clowney did say he's open to a return to Seattle.
"I love Seattle," he said. "I love everybody on the coaching staff. I wouldn't trade those guys in. I hope we can work something out."
Both Seahawks GM John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have said in recent weeks that they haven't closed the door on bringing back Clowney.
A source previously told ESPN that Clowney was seeking a deal averaging $21 million per season when free agency began in mid-March. He dropped his asking price to around $17 million to $18 million per season last month, sources said.
