Jadeveon Clowney has yet to sign the franchise tag he received from the Houston Texans in March, and now there's a chance he might not play for the team at all.
Just over a week after the Houston Chronicle reported that Clowney and the Texans were not close to a long-term contract and that the star pass rusher could be a "prolonged holdout" in hopes of a new deal, ESPN's Chris Mortensen said Thursday the team is open to trading its former No. 1 pick.
Texans general manager Brian Gaine has said publicly the team still intends to reach a long-term agreement with the three-time Pro Bowler. And both sides have until July 15 to sign an extension. But in the wake of the Seattle Seahawks' trade of tagged pass rusher Frank Clark, it appears Houston is at least willing to field offers for its All-Pro veteran. The San Francisco 49ers' deal for Dee Ford earlier in the offseason is another example of a high-priced pass rusher being moved on the tag.
Drafted first overall out of South Carolina in 2014, Clowney has yet to hit double-digit sacks in a single season and has played all 16 games just once in his five-year career. But he's also had at least nine sacks in each of the last two seasons, registering a career-high 9.5 in 2017. Also a respected run-stopper, he would earn approximately $15.9 million in 2019 if he were to sign the tag.
