It’s here! Feb. 19 is upon us and the Houston Texans can apply the franchise tag to edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney. So, when are they going to do it, and does that mean the club just doesn’t consider him serious enough for a long-term deal?
First off, Feb. 19 is merely the opening of a window for teams to start applying franchise and transition tags. The window closes on March 5 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Deadlines make deals in the NFL, so the club may not feel forced to apply the tag until March 5. The rest of the time is for negotiations.
As far as “tagging” players on March 5, the designation at that point is a way for clubs to retain the exclusive right to negotiate with the player. If the Texans failed to tag Clowney, then that would mean Houston would compete with other franchises for his services as he would be an unrestricted free agent. That would speak even more about what the club thought of Clowney beyond even designating him with the franchise tag.
Even if the two-time Pro Bowler gets “tagged” by March 5, the real deadline to watch is July 15 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. If Houston lets that deadline pass, then they will not be able to negotiate a long-term deal with Clowney until the end of the season. That would also mean the club sees him more a part of their present than their future.
Until July 15, no one in the NFL, not even Clowney, is considered tagged.
