"I just thought the deal made sense for me, and if it gives us more room to bring in somebody else to help this team, I am all for it"
Friday 17 July 2020 09:18, UK
Derrick Henry insists free agent Jadeveon Clowney would be welcomed with 'open arms' were he to sign with the Tennessee Titans ahead of the 2020 season.
With just two weeks until the start of training camp, Clowney remains in search of a new team after spending last season with the Seattle Seahawks.
Henry is hopeful his new four-year, $50m deal will be able to help the Titans facilitate further additions such as that of Clowney moving forward.
"I just thought the deal made sense for me, and if it gives us more room to bring in somebody else to help this team, I am all for it," Henry said in a conference call on Thursday.
"Any time you can improve your team at positions that we need, it is always a big benefit. Hopefully, if my deal possibly did that, hopefully we can bring somebody in that can help this team improve us more."
Clowney recently explained that he was "still open" and is yet to determine where he will sign, but does intend on signing with a club before the start of the season should everything begin on time amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Titans are among those interested in meeting with Clowney, with general manager Jon Robinson reportedly keen on examining the 2014 first-round pick's health before deciding whether or not to sign him.
The Cleveland Browns are said to have had an offer worth $15m turned down by Clowney, while a return to the Seahawks, though unlikely, has also been floated.
"He's a great player, and he's played at a high level for a while," said Henry. "If he wants to come to Tennessee, you'd definitely welcome him with open arms.
"Hopefully, if [management and Clowney are] talking, we can get something done and he can come join us. We definitely would love to have him and he can help us in a big way."
Clowney recorded 31 tackles, three sacks, four forced fumbles and one interception returned for a touchdown in 13 games to help Seattle reach the playoffs last season.
Henry had been discussing his new multi-year contract with the Titans, which was agreed just in time to beat Wednesday's deadline for teams to sign franchise-tagged players to long-term extensions.
The former Heisman Trophy winner produced a career year in 2019 as he led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,540 for 16 touchdowns.
"I am very excited, and happy the process if over with and now the focus is getting back to football and hopefully getting together [for training camp] at the end of this month," he said.
"I didn't have any doubt at all. It was just a matter of time before we could come [to an agreement] where we'd both be happy and I'm glad we were able to do that. We came to a common ground where both of us could be happy."
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