The Kansas City Chiefs have made considerable strides to bring life to a depleted defense that took the blame for several of the team’s losses last season. It appears the Houston Texans were paying attention to those strides.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Terez Paylor, Houston gauged Kansas City’s interest in trading for pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney. The Texans had been shopping Clowney, whom they franchise-tagged, for weeks ahead of the 2019 NFL draft, and ramped up their pursuit of a suitor with the draft approaching.
Instead, the Chiefs were fixated on acquiring star defensive end Frank Clark from the Seattle Seahawks. According to Paylor, he was their No. 1 guy and not Clowney.
The Seahawks dealt Clark to the Chiefs in exchange for a 2019 first-round pick and a 2020 second-round pick; the teams also exchanged third-round picks this year. Shortly after the trade became final, Kansas City signed the 25-year-old to a five-year, $104 million contract with $63.5 million guaranteed.
Houston placed the franchise tag on Clowney in March, and that’s the last time the public heard any news on him. Clowney’s frustrations with the Texans front office mirror those of Clark in Seattle. As luck would have it, Clark escaped the friction at CenturyLink Field and got a hefty pay raise in the process.
