Jadeveon Clowney's conclusion with the Browns was anti-climactic, if not toxic.
That's well behind him now. The Ravens edge rusher returns to the place he called home in 2021 and 2022 this weekend, when Baltimore travels to Cleveland to face the Browns. And he's not interesting in reliving the past.
"I'm not going to sum up nothing that happened there, with no teammates, no coaching staff, nothing. It was locker room talk that got out," Clowney said Wednesday. "I'm on to a new year right now. I don't care about what happened last year. I'm playing for the Baltimore Ravens now."
Clowney is already making a difference for his new team, recording 1.5 sacks through three games with the Ravens. He's just a half-sack away from matching his total from his final season with the Browns, which ended with Clowney voicing his frustration with former defensive coordinator Joe Woods, being sent home from practice and spending Week 18 inactive.
That finale isn't motivating Clowney to perform well in this weekend's meeting with Cleveland. There's more at stake, including a chance to take the lead in the AFC North.
"I don't think I need any extra motivation," Clowney said. "It's a division game. I have a lot of respect for a lot of guys over there, a lot of friends over there, good teammates I played with for two years. I wish them the best, but not against us."
At 2-1, both the Browns and Ravens are off to positive starts that make their Week 4 meeting feel even more significant than usual. And with the franchises' histories forever intertwined by origin and familiarity, there's no love lost.
Clowney has seen both sides of the rivalry. He'll hope to notch a win for his new team Sunday.
"I have a lot of respect for them. If I had any bad blood, I don't think I would have signed to go back there for two years in a row," he said.
"Anybody wants to win. That wasn't a good for us, we weren't winning a lot of games, and there could have been a lot of fingers pointed that year and I ended up on the wrong side of the fence, I guess. But I'm looking forward to this year. I'm here now, I'm thankful, there's no reason for me talking about what happened last year. That's behind me. Let's talk about this year. I'm just focusing on winning games here and being the best Jadeveon Clowney I can be for the Baltimore Ravens."
