ExtremeRavens Posted January 7 Posted January 7 A Week 18 game that lacked meaning for the Ravens’ playoff seeding carried weighty implications for Jadeveon Clowney’s wallet. With the No. 1 seed in the AFC sewn up and little to play for, Baltimore fell at home to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, 17-10. But late in the first half, Clowney registered a sack, bringing his season total to 9 1/2. That tied a career high, but — more importantly from a pocketbook perspective — eclipsed the nine sacks he needed to unlock a $750,000 bonus. Clowney, an edge rusher drafted No. 1 overall by the Houston Texans in 2014, broke out this season by playing in all 17 games, a career-high. After playing for four teams in five years, he signed a one-year contract with Baltimore this past offseason, reportedly worth $2.5 million in base salary but with $3.5 million of incentives baked in. Half of those incentives were based upon snaps played, with the other half rooted in sacks. He eclipsed five sacks in Week 10, notching a $500,000 bonus, surpassed $1 million in sack incentives with his seventh sack in Week 12 and then earned $1.75 million Saturday by notching his ninth sack of the season. “Finally,” Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen said when asked about Clowney’s sack. “Just happy for the guy.” “He’s been talking about that for like the past two weeks,” said defensive tackle Michael Pierce, smiling. Complete with a dance and a joyful yell, Clowney and his teammates celebrated on the field for about 30 seconds during a stoppage in play. Defensive end Brent Urban mimed throwing cash onto Clowney as the crowd cheered him on and the ESPN broadcast lauded his bonus. “That might’ve been a record for longest celebration. We’re happy for [Jadaveon], man, he’s having a career year,” Pierce said. NFL contracts are generally not fully guaranteed, unlike in MLB and the NBA, and some deals are rife with incentives. If Clowney had played fewer than half of Baltimore’s snaps this year and posted fewer than five sacks, he would’ve earned $2.5 million. Instead, with a strong campaign, he added a sizable chunk. Ravens wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor weren’t so fortunate. The 31-year-old Beckham missed out on a potential $1.75 million payday by resting for the divisional round, though it would have taken a big performance to hit his incentives. He needed five catches ($500K), 185 yards ($750K) and/or two touchdowns ($500K) Saturday. Agholor, 30, needed 10 catches ($250K) or 58 yards ($250K), but he fell short with five receptions for 39 yards. Asked what he’d do with the money, Clowney, laughing, noted he had three kids and said he might put it in a safe or the bank. “I’ll put it with the rest of my money,” he said. Ravens outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney sacks Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and forces a fumble during the second quarter Saturday. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) The sack almost didn’t happen, though. Clowney easily got to Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph — a fellow Rock Hill, South Carolina, native — in the second quarter, but Rudolph tried to get rid of the ball before being hit. The ball popped straight up and, for a moment, it appeared it might be ruled an incompletion. Instead, Clowney was credited with a sack and a forced fumble (the Steelers recovered). “I didn’t even know it was a sack,” Clowney said. “I looked back, they [were] like, ‘I think you got it.’ I was like, ‘I needed it.’ I was excited about it. That was my goal coming into this game, try to get on the board.” Of the celebration, he said, “I had a good time with it.” Paced by Justin Madubuike’s 13 and with plenty of help from veterans like Clowney and Kyle Van Noy, the Ravens lead the NFL in sacks. “Job not done,” Clowney said. “I gotta continue to do it throughout these playoffs.” View the full article Quote
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