ADAM SCHEFTER INTERVIEW

Exclusive: Adam Schefter sheds light on Clowney's future and O'Brien's reputation

Exclusive: Adam Schefter sheds light on Clowney's future and O'Brien's reputation
Photos by Getty Images. Composite image by Jack Brame.

It has been a very controversial offseason for the Houston Texans after trading away All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter had no shortage of interesting things to say about how internally the Texans are justifying the trade.

"Bill is running the team with the way that he wants to," Adam Schefter said on The Jake Asman Show on Gow Media's SB Nation Radio. "I can tell you from speaking with people from around the league and in Houston that they (Texans) believe they have a strong justification/validation for every single move that they made. They had numbers on DeAndre Hopkins, with the contract situation being what it was, in their minds they were going to have a tough time justifying paying what he wanted… The issue is that we are living in a world where everybody wants to assess things right away… They can justify that move, their analytics say it was a good move, they believe it was a good move and over time we will find out if they are right."

Former Texans DE Jadeveon Clowney is still a free agent but don't count on Clowney playing for the Texans again even though he has been working out in the Houston area.

"How many teams are out there right now that are going to pay Jadeveon Clowney what he wants," Schefter said. "Cleveland is the one I can think of. Maybe Seattle but it won't be what he wants exactly. I think there are teams out there that won't want to spend money if they don't know if they are going to be losing money this year without fans. Do you want to go and throw all this money at Jadeveon Clowney when we don't know for sure there is going to be a season?"

One under the radar impact caused by the pandemic on the NFL is the future salary cap number for the league. While Schefter said that he still anticipates the league still finding a way to play 16 regular games, he believes that the loss of revenue is going to have a huge impact on all 32 clubs.

"Right now nobody knows the answers to those questions," Schefter said. "If there are no fans, based on the way I calculated it talking to people, it would be roughly about 100 million dollars lost per team... I was told that the number is even higher than that. Again, when you factor in the 2021 salary cap, you take in the revenue from 2020 and if there are no fans in the stadium, it is going to be down. The pandemic impacts just about everybody and I don't believe in the end that NFL owners and NFL players are going to be immune to that.

You can listen to the full interview with Adam Schefter here:


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Welcome to Houston, Nick! Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

Nick Chubb didn’t expect to be a Houston Texan. At least, not until he got the call on a quiet Saturday at home and was on a flight the next day. It happened fast — too fast, even, for the four-time Pro Bowler to fully process what it all meant. But now that he’s here, it’s clear this wasn’t a random landing spot. This was a calculated leap, one Chubb had been quietly considering from afar.

The reasons he chose Houston speak volumes not only about where Chubb is in his own career, but where the Texans are as a franchise.

For one, Chubb saw what the rest of the league saw the last two seasons: a young team turning the corner. He admired the Texans from a distance — the culture shift under head coach DeMeco Ryans, the explosive rise of C.J. Stroud, and the physical tone set by players like Joe Mixon. That identity clicked with Chubb. He’d been a fan of Ryans for years, and once he got in the building, everything aligned.

“I came here and saw a bunch of guys who like to work and not talk,” Chubb said. “And I realized I'm a perfect fit.”

As for his health, Chubb isn’t running from the injuries that cost him parts of the past two seasons, he’s owning them. But now, he says, they’re behind him. After a full offseason of training the way he always has — hitting his speed and strength benchmarks — Chubb says he’s feeling the best he has in years. He’s quick to remind people that bouncing back from major injuries, especially the one he suffered in 2023, is rarely a one-year journey. It takes time. He’s given it time.

Then there’s his fit with Mixon. The two aren’t just stylistic complements, they go way back. Same recruiting class, same reputation for running hard, same respect for each other’s games. Chubb remembers dreading matchups against the Bengals in Cleveland, worrying Mixon would take over the game. Now, he sees the opportunity in pairing up. “It’ll be us kinda doing that back-to-back against other defenses,” he said.

He’s also well aware of what C.J. Stroud brings to the table. Chubb watched Stroud nearly dismantle Georgia in the College Football Playoff. Then he saw it again, up close, when Stroud lit up the Browns in the postseason. “He torched us again,” Chubb said. Now, he gets to run alongside him, not against him.

Stroud made a point to welcome Chubb, exchanging numbers and offering support. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s the kind of leadership that helped sell Chubb on the Texans as more than just a good football fit — it’s a good locker room fit, too.

It appears the decision to come to Houston wasn’t part of some master plan. But in retrospect, it makes perfect sense. Chubb is a player with a no-nonsense work ethic, recovering from adversity, looking to write the next chapter of a career that’s far from over. And the Texans? They’re a team on the rise, built around guys who want to do the same.

You can watch the full interview in the video below.

And for those wondering how Joe Mixon feels about Nick Chubb, check out this video from last season. Let's just say he's a fan.


*ChatGPT assisted.

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