Cowboys Appear to Have Cooled on Re-Signing Star Pass-Rusher

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Jadeveon Clowney of the Dallas Cowboys

If it seems like it was not long ago that the Dallas Cowboys and star pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney appeared on a collision course to run back in 2026 what had been a successful pairing in 2025, then you’d be right. It was not long ago–in late December, and again in January, the front office of owner Jerry Jones and son Stephen Jones were singing Clowney’s praises and gearing up to bring him back into the fold.

It made sense. Despite missing training camp after he was released by the Panthers, and despite not joining the Cowboys until the middle of September (he made his debut in Week 4), Clowney was the best pass-rusher on the team, tallying 8.5 sacks, including 4.5 in the final two weeks of the season.

Clowney was clear in wanting to come back to the Cowboys. The Cowboys not only had a need at the position, but a stated desire to bring him back. “We’ll be talking with his guys right away,” Stephen Jones declared.

But here we are in late February and, it seems, the tone has changed completely on the Cowboys and Clowney. What gives?

‘It’s Jadeveon Clowney’

Appearing on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Cowboys beat writer Jon Machota of The Athletic highlighted the shift on Clowney as one of the things that has stood out for him during the NFL draft combine week in Indianapolis.

It seems the hiring of Christian Parker as the new defensive coordinator for the Cowboys has been the impetus for the team to move away from re-signing Clowney, though Machota said it’s not something that has been ruled out.

“It’s Jadeveon Clowney,” Machota said. “Stephen was on your station in late December saying absolutely we wany Jadeveon back. And it makes total sense that this is a team that needs edge rushers and he was clearly your best one, your most productive one a year ago. Now, in late December, he doesn’t know Christian Parker is going to be the next DC and the changes that they are.

“And so, just the way that Stephen has talked out here, you can tell that—I am not saying that the door is completely shut, but it’s nowhere close to where it was in December, especially that last game in New York where I am like, ‘Oh, this guy’s coming back for sure.’”

GettyStephen Jones, Dallas Cowboys

No Cowboys Urgency on Jadeveon Clowney

It’s easy to compare the Cowboys’ stance on, say, running back Javonte Williams and Clowney and see much different approaches. Jones expressed the same kind of enthusiasm for keeping Williams (also a free agent) in December, and the team followed that up by nailing down a three-year, $24 million deal to keep him.

There’s been no similar urgency for Clowney. That can be taken as a sign–as Machota indicated–that the Cowboys are not as keen to keep him as they were Williams. Or it could be a sign that Cowboys simply want to make sure Parker is as involved as possible in defensive personnel decisions.

Cowboys Decision on Javonte Williams Was Different

The Cowboys, after all, did not overhaul their offensive staff, and did not need to vet Williams with OC Klayton Adams.

When asked about Clowney at the beginning of the week, Jones did say the team wants Parker’s input.

“We’re gonna work through with (Parker),” Jones said. “A lot of it will happen this coming week, in terms of the type of player. We’re gonna continue to have those talks, and then we’ll make final decisions on who we think will be productive in this particular system.”

Again, that is not an enthusiastic endorsement of re-signing Clowney. But it doesn’t completely rule out a return, either.

Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney