Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney continues to hold up a potential trade between the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins. The Pro Bowl edge defender refuses to go to a club that may not have a highly competitive prognosis for the upcoming season.
According to a report from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Clowney doesn’t care about the trade talks between the Dolphins and the Texans; he just doesn’t want to play for Miami. As a result, the standoff continues as the Texans attempt to deal a player to a club that may be asking for too much, and the player in question won’t sign off on it.
In order to be traded, Clowney has to sign his franchise tag. Until he does, the former 2014 No. 1 overall pick is without a contract. Therefore, he cannot be fined or dealt. As we saw with the Le’Veon Bell saga last year, Clowney’s rights belong to the Texans for this season unless he is traded.
For a team to even want Clowney, they will have to accept they cannot sign him to a long-term contract until the season is over. Houston and Clowney failed to sign a long-term deal before the July 15 deadline. As a result, the franchise tag is the only offer on the table.
The Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles are other potential landing spots. The stipulation that a team has to wait until the end of the year to negotiate a contract extension is also a holdup for suitors. How much is reasonable for a team to give up in a trade for a player that may not even be with them for the future?
Miami makes sense from the Texans’ point of view because they have an offensive tackle, Laremy Tunsil, who would be a nice addition to a line that allowed quarterback Deshaun Watson to be sacked a league-high 62 times last year.
