According to NFL Insiders Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport, the Houston Texans and pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney have agreed on a one-year, $8 million to reunite the two sides for the first time since his trade away to the Seattle Seahawks in August of 2019.
In an immediate reaction to KPRC 2 Texans Insider Aaron Wilson, Clowney had this to say about the chance to return to Houston on a phone interview:
"It's great. It was a family decision. It wasn't about the money it was about chasing my legacy and chasing a Super bowl. I've got a lot of game left and want to contribute. I was excited about paying with those guys [Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter], too . Good defense and I can help contribute and good chance to chase a Super bowl. I know what it looks like I can help this squad."
It was a move that had long been speculated about throughout the offseason, as the Texans have been reportedly on the hunt for a third defensive end to pair with All Pro's Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. Clowney gives them that additional dominant edge threat, as he just completed a season with the Dallas Cowboys in which he accumulated 8.5 sacks (third-most in career), 41 total tackles, one forced fumble (two recoveries) and four passes defended.
Most notably, Clowney only played in roughly 43.5% of the defensive snaps in Dallas, but yet still ended up with the fifth-highest quarterback pressure rate at 18.1% (according to NFL Next Gen Stats). With that in mind, it's perfectly reasonable to now believe that Houston has assembled the best three-man defensive end rotation in the entire NFL after today. If that's the case, then the nightmares for offenses around the league will only grow worse now that Clowney has made his return to a more southern portion of the Lone Star State.
The Houston Texans have made the nightmares worse for NFL offenses after re-acquiring Jadeveon Clowney
Anderson and Danielle Hunter have already been running roughshod all over offensive lines across the NFL since joining forces back in the 2024 season. However, the drop-off in performance after those two has been very noticeable on the part of the front office.
While proper credit must be given to players like Mario Edwards Jr. (who also came back today), Sheldon Rankins, Tim Settle Jr. and Derek Barnett for contributing how they could alongside those two powerhouses, there was always room to improve to where a third quality defensive end would prove disastrous for any offense that would line up against Houston's defensive front.
Now that Houston officially has its three-headed monster, the odds are better than ever that the team can be (and arguably should be) in at least their first AFC Championship game in the history of the franchise.
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