The franchise tag has created tremendous tension between Jadeveon Clowney and the Houston Texans.
The Texans placed the franchise tag on Clowney in March, and were unable to ink a long-term deal by the deadline on Monday, which means the Texans’ star will play on the tag. But it’s not totally clear what that deal will look like.
The Texans labeled a “DE/LB,” an ambiguous characterization. Which one is he, a linebacker or a defensive end? It’s important, because a linebacker’s tag carries a $1.698 million lower salary than a defensive end. That’s because the sum for a franchise tag gives a player no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position over the last five years (or 120 percent of his previous salary, if that figure is larger). Defensive ends, on average, are paid more than linebackers, so the franchise tag is higher for their services.
The NFLPA is expected to file a grievance against the Texans, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. They would probably only do that if Houston labeled Clowney linebacker, the lower-paying designation.
This isn’t like when tight end Jimmy Graham tried to see if a neutral arbitrator would relabel him a receiver for the franchise tag. Graham’s appeal failed. Clowney, on the other hand, has a legitimate case.
Digital scouting service Pro Football Focus has made a distinction of their own to eliminate confusion on topics like this. They label front-seven players under three of the following categories: interior defensive line, off-ball linebacker and edge. It’s a clearer system of labelling. The NFL’s, meanwhile, is somewhat antiquated, and their system will continue to cause problems if teams do what the Texans may do, which is mislabel one of their biggest stars to deprive him of a significant sum.
By all intents and purposes, he is an edge rusher, spending most of his time setting the edge in the run game or rushing the passer. And edge players come at a higher premium than off-ball linebackers. Clowney deserves a long-term deal with financial security — the least the Texans can do is label him a defensive end and give him the deserved pay bump.
