Texans' Jadeveon Clowney: Not close to deal

Clowney and the Texans haven't made much progress in contract negotiations, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Clowney hasn't signed his franchise tag and won't be present Monday for the start of the Texans' voluntary offseason program. He's hoping for a long-term agreement before the July 15 deadline, with the threat of a prolonged holdout if he doesn't receive his desired contract. The Texans have plenty of cap space, but they may be hesitant to pay Clowney as an elite pass rusher given his career total of 29 sacks in 62 games. He does have a strong track record defending the run, and 18.5 of those sacks occurred the past two seasons.