Ravens edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney has bounced around the league in recent years, but he spent the first five of his 10 NFL seasons in the same place.
That place was Houston and he joined the Texans as the first overall pick of the 2014 draft. Clowney made three Pro Bowls for the AFC South team before being traded to the Seahawks ahead of the 2019 season and his history with Saturday’s opponent came up during a Thursday press conference.
Clowney said that he’s not deriving any extra motivation from the chance to face his former team this weekend.
“To me, it’s the next game up,” Clowney said, via a transcript from the team. “I just want to win, because it’s the playoffs; it’s bigger than just worrying about the Texans. There is much more at stake. It’s either win or go home. And we want to get away with this win, so we can keep fighting for the goal we’ve been fighting for all year. What you do all of this for is to try to get to that Super Bowl and win it.”
Clowney facing the Texans would have a bit more resonance if Clowney was in his first year or two away from the team, but the Ravens are the fourth team he’s played for since leaving Houston and that makes it much easier to believe that his history with his opponent is an insignificant backstory this weekend.