In the least shocking NFL news of the week, the Texans slapped the franchise tag on Jadeveon Clowney, which should keep the ever-improving pass rusher in Houston for at least one more season, which will cost the team $15.9 million in 2019.
It’s a no-brainer from the Texans’ standpoint: Clowney is coming off his best season but the team would still like to see him continue to develop as a pass rusher before committing long-term money to him. The 2014 first-overall pick has registered at least nine sacks in each of the last two seasons but has yet to top the 10-sack mark in a single year. Clowney has already developed into a dominant run defender, but he’ll need to become a more well-rounded pass rusher — one who doesn’t just rely on his physical ability to beat blockers — before a Khalil Mack-type deal makes sense for the Texans.
Houston now has another year to gather more information before making a significant investment. In theory, at least. The Texans used the non-exclusive tag, which allows Clowney to seek an offer sheet from other teams. If Clowney signs an offer sheet with a team, the Texans have the right to match the offer. If they decide not to, Clowney’s new team would send two first-round picks over to Houston.
That’s a lot to give up for Clowney but one of the Texans’ divisional rivals has the assets to make a compelling offer. The Colts are sitting on $105.8 million in cap space heading into free agency, per Spotrac. Why not use some of that money to drive up Clowney’s price and force the Texans to make a decision on Clowney RIGHT NOW, which is something they obviously want to avoid but would probably end up doing anyhow?
It’s a win-win for the Colts: Either they end up with a blue-chip free agent at a major position of need, or the Texans are forced to overpay for Clowney.
Parting with the two first-round picks would be difficult, but it might be worth the price of strengthening your own roster while weakening a rival’s. And Colts GM Chris Ballard comes from a Kansas City front office that had no problem dealing away first-rounders in order to add talent.
If the Colts really want to get devious, they can take a page out of the Jaguars’ playbook and structure the deal in a way that would hurt Houston down the line. Back in 2014, Jacksonville gave Alex Mack, who had been tagged by Cleveland, a contract that included an opt-out clause after two years. Even if the Browns matched, Mack had the choice to void the contract after Year 2 and become an unrestricted free agent. And because his free agency would be triggered by a player option, Cleveland could not use the franchise tag to prevent Mack from hitting the open market. The Browns did match Jacksonville’s offer, Mack opted out after two years and ended up signing a big contract in Atlanta.
The Colts should structure a similar offer sheet to Clowney. Even if the Texans match, he’ll be able to opt out after the 2020 season and re-enter the free agent market. During that same offseason, Houston will have to give Deshaun Watson a new contract so it won’t have a bunch of cash lying around to match the monster offers Clowney would undoubtedly draw from other teams.
At the very least, by offering Clowney a contract that includes an opt-out clause, Indy would be ensuring that one of the most disruptive defensive players in the league would be out of the AFC South sooner rather than later. At best, the Colts would be adding a blue-chip talent just entering his prime.
What’s the downside?
