Houston Texans: Jadeveon Clowney and trade rumors

Rumors are rampant regarding Jadeveon Clowney and the Houston Texans, and many of the reports are conflicting.

The Houston Texans have been inconsistent with how they’ve handled Jadeveon Clowney’s contract. For starters, it’s their own fault for this holdout, as I’ve previously written, because it didn’t have to get this far.

The Texans have allowed this situation to go into the ninth hour, so here we are. It’s hard to really know what’s going on, as reports initially had Clowney returning after the third preseason game. This would have actually made sense from Clowney’s standpoint, as he’s going to be playing on a tag so it would seem like he would want to limit as much contact as possible.

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This would have meant he succeeded in his goal of sitting out camp and sitting out the preseason, as we never see any starters play the final game of the preseason. That’s why that timing would make sense for Clowney, if that were true.

That report is the complete opposite of what was reported by John Granato of ESPN’s 97.5, who said Clowney is now threatening to sit out the entire preseason and prevented a trade from happening with the Miami Dolphins.

Granted you have to always take any of these reports with a grain of salt, as we never know who leaked these reports and we also don’t know who Granato’s sources are. There is generally a mix of truth-and-fiction in all of these stories that leak during negotiations, but let’s pretend these rumors were true.

Who exactly should the Texans ask for in return from Miami? It is a bit late in the process for a big time trade but many are speculating Laremy Tunsil would have been the Texans’ target in a deal. That would obviously help the Texans on the offensive line, especially if the Redskins are adamant on not moving Trent Williams, which is the case according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Or the Texans could even seek out draft picks in return from the Dolphins similar to how the Oakland Raiders built their trade package in exchange for Khalil Mack one year ago. Granted, we may never know what a potential trade would have entailed, as Granato says Clowney’s unwillingness to commit long-term to the Dolphins killed this potential trade.

That is actually the part that’s most interesting to me. Again, we have no way of knowing if this did in fact take place, but if so I would not expect Clowney to not be open to a long-term commitment.

Again, because the Texans allowed this to drag out into the ninth hour, the deadline has passed for when Clowney can agree to terms on a deal, so even the Dolphins wouldn’t have been able to actually sign him long-term right now. The most the Dolphins would be able to get him to do is sign the franchise tag, which is the same thing the Texans can get him to do.

If Clowney really isn’t willing to talk long-term with a team like the Dolphins, he’s only shooting himself in the foot because this is likely the type of team who would give him the type of contract he is seeking.

Sure they are ways away from being a playoff team, but that’s part of what they would be bringing in Clowney to help with, similar to how the Bears viewed Mack as the missing piece. We don’t know what type of assurances or commitment Miami would theoretically want from Clowney either, so it is hard to say whether or not he is making a mistake by saying no. It’s not like Miami can negotiate terms right now, or agree to a new contract, so this detail almost seems like Clowney just wasn’t all that enthused about playing for the Dolphins.

Granato later added that Clowney was upset with the Texans for trying to move him and is now threatening to sit out all of camp. As i said earlier, this was likely his plan all along, as Clowney likely loves having the option to not go to camp.

In addition, it would seem somewhat oblivious on his part to be “upset” at the Texans seeking to trade him, as they’ve not been able to agree on a new contract. The Texans haven’t even been able to figure out what position to categorize him as, so it’s not at all surprising they want to move Clowney.

Either way, the Texans need to put an end to this situation, as this is not the type of distraction the Texans need going into the season. As I’ve always said, the Texans should really be wanting Clowney because above all else, they could really use him, especially in the future.

Hopefully Clowney is willing to play his part and help facilitate a trade, but then again, that’s if those reports are true about the Dolphins being interested in him.

It’s hard to tell exactly what stories to believe and what stories are true, but regardless the Texans need to get this figured out sooner than later.