The Houston Texans will meet with Jadeveon Clowney’s representatives before the NFL combine is finished in Indianapolis.
General manager Brian Gaine met with the media Thursday and provided an update as to the status of negotiations with the three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher.
“A lot of discovery this week,” said Gaine, who was also asked about the status of talks with safety Tyrann Mathieu. “We’ll have conversations with their representation this week. So, want to make an effort to keep all our good players, keep our core players intact.”
The Texans have until March 5 to designate Clowney with the franchise tag. While it will be a designation, the tag doesn’t official stick until July 15, meaning the club can exclusively work out a long-term contract with the former 2014 No. 1 overall pick by that time. Afterwards, the two sides cannot negotiate until the end of the 2019 season.
Mathieu is an unrestricted free agent. The Texans would be in an opening bidding war for his services once free agency begins on March 13. However, it may not be much of a contest given that Mathieu would love to stay in Houston, and the club holds him in similar high regard.
“Those are works in progress,” said Gaine. “Those conversations will continue to take place here next week and in the coming weeks prior to free agency.”
