Texans will have to pay up to keep Jadeveon Clowney
Houston Texans linebacker Jadeveon Clowney wants to get paid. At least that is what his agent has come out and said as his client is entering his final year of his contract. Clowney is due to make $13.8 million this season. It sounds like that Clowney wants to secure his financial future sooner rather than later.
Clowney’s current salary is the fifth-highest in the NFL. The following players make more money than Clowney; Von Miller, Justin Houston, Chandler Jones and Melvin Ingram. This is quite the group. The aforementioned list includes some of the NFL’s best outside linebackers. Clowney’s play has shown he deserves to be listed in this group. The difference between Clowney and this list is that those are all second contracts. Clowney is still on his first.
It must be said that Clowney will more than likely set the market for a couple of the players listed above. Houston has a potential out after this upcoming season. Miller and Jones have potential outs after the 2019 season. Clowney’s contract will inevitably be the framework for the future deals of these players.
An extension would warrant paying Clowney a lot of money now which down the road could turn into a bargain. When a team hands out a large contract to a player it seems daunting at first. However two years in with a rising salary cap and the contracts of players at the same position exceeding the initial deal. It is more beneficial to sign Clowney to an extension now rather than wait when he will become more expensive.
If the sides are unable to agree to terms Clowney will play out his final year of his deal with no guarantee he will return. That is of course without considering the all infuriating franchise tag. The Texans would be better suited to avoid applying the franchise tag. Teams in desperation mode will apply the tag to keep a player. The result is an angry player who is not happy with the decision by his team. A perfect example if Le’Veon Bell in Pittsburgh. Bell stated he will sit out or even retire if the Steelers place the franchise tag on him. This is a scenario the Texans can not afford with Clowney.
Clowney will ultimately get his money. Whether it is through a contract extension or the franchise tag. The Texans need keep the core of the defense together. This includes paying Clowney. Agreeing to an extension with him now is the best path. Waiting to pay one of their best players is not the best idea. The Texans need to keep their players together for the long haul to build chemistry and a force defensively. A combination of J.J. Watt and Clowney will be a force defensively for years to come. All the Texans have to do is pay Clowney now instead of later.