The Houston Texans placed the franchise tag on edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney on Monday, preventing other teams from negotiating with him when the new league year begins on March 13 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time.
The NFL released its nonexclusive rights franchise player valuations on Friday, and how exactly the Texans view Clowney will determine how much money he receives on the franchise tag in 2019.
If Houston sees Clowney as a defensive end, it will cost them $17.1 million to apply the franchise tag. If general manager Brian Gaine wants to save a few million, then Clowney could be considered a linebacker at $15.4 million.
In early January, the club paid Clowney $1 million to settle a dispute over whether he should have been considered a defensive end or a linebacker during his fifth-year option. No doubt defensive ends made more than linebackers, and the Texans were trying to save a few dollars in salary cap space.
Houston has the third-highest salary cap space in the NFL at $80.9 million. However, they have other deals to consider with re-signing safety Tyrann Mathieu and attracting other free agents to the organization. They may need that extra $1.7 million.
