The Houston Texans and edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney missed the NFL’s deadline at 4:00 P.M. ET on Monday to sign a contract extension.
Clowney is now only eligible to play the 2019 season under the one-year deal of the $15.967 million exclusive franchise tag. Houston tagged Clowney back in March, but he has yet to sign the tender. Using the franchise tag on Clowney again in 2020 would increase his one-year salary by 20 percent, to $19.16 million.
Because Clowney hasn’t signed his tag, he is not required to report to training camp and can miss the entire preseason without facing any financial penalty. Although it’s possible Clowney will go down that route, his holdout isn’t expected to extend into the regular season.
Based on previous reports from multiple sources, the fact that both sides couldn’t come to an agreement isn’t much of a surprise. Allegedly, negations between Houston and Clowney had been at a standstill for weeks.
The Texans were probably reluctant to give Clowney a bunch of guaranteed money due to his injury history. Clowney has only played a full 16-game slate once in his five-year career, and he missed 16 contests during his first two seasons. There’s a good chance head coach Bill O’Brien wants to see Clowney remain healthy for another season before making him a massive offer in 2020.
Looking at things from Clowney’s point of view, it’s likely he wants the long-term security that other pass rushers of his caliber have been given. Clowney has received three Pro Bowl nods and one Second-Team All-Pro selection since being drafted No. 1 overall by Houston in 2014. For his career, Clowney has registered 29 sacks and 67 quarterback hits in 62 total games.
Disagreement over how to handle Clowney’s contract situation was reportedly one reason the Texans fired now-former general manager Brian Gaine after just one season. Choosing not to extend Clowney this offseason had its share of both risks and benefits. It appears Houston saw more of the latter.
Texas Pro Football Access 