Dallas' Jadeveon Clowney reveals his powerful 'motivation' for playing, emphasizing money, representation, and a refusal to quit.
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys are finding themselves being asked questions this past week that they never thought they would have to answer.
With the season essentially done after the Week 15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, talk of "Organic Tanking" and where the team will get motivation from has been a talking point here inside The Star.
After the 34-17 embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas now has two games left in this dismal 2025 season.
At 6-8-1, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but veteran Jadeveon Clowney, when asked how he will be motivated during the Cowboys' final two games, gave a powerful response.
“What you mean 'motivated'? They’re paying me," Clowney said. "That’s enough motivation for me. I like money. (But it's) not just that. I represent more than just the team. I’m playing for more than myself, my family supporting me. I’m playing for everybody that’s been with me from the beginning.
"And I ain’t never quit nothing. Ain’t gonna be hard for me to get up and play in no game. Do my job."
That's the mindset coach Brian Schottenheimer is looking for, and even if some in Cowboys Nation believe Dallas should tank in this final two games, there is something encouraging about Clowney's devotion to the team's stated plan.
No, there is nothing on the line for the 6-8-1 Cowboys but pride, and we know that alone can be a powerful force.
In the case of Clowney? He signed a one-year $3.45 million contract in September and is ranked by PFF as the No. 24 defensive end in the NFL. As a part-timer, he's got four sacks in 11 games along with 23 hurries, 19 stops, and three passes defensed.
We've seen some media outlets insist he be re-signed here, but Clowney - one of the NFL's most notable mercenaries as he moves through his solid career on a series of short-term deals - turns 33 in February.
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We doubt he'll be prioritized in the spring.
But for now?
Dak Prescott has stated numerous times that he's opposed to the idea of starters sitting because this is his job and he doesn't take it for granted.
Schottenheimer has preached the need to win football games and trashed the thought of sitting starters, instead pushing themes like the desire to finish 5-1 inside the NFC East.
And now Clowney has made it abundantly clear that he is playing for something more powerful than money or fame -- his name.
And maybe his future, in or out of Dallas.