Franchise tag "an option" for Texans with Clowney

Cody Stoots/SportsMap

Texans general manager Brian Gaine said at the NFL Scouting Combine the team won't discuss contracts publicly when he was asked about impending free agents. He did however confirm the Texans would use the franchise tag if necessary.

"It's certainly an option," said the second-year general manager. "It's not the priority, but it's certainly an option."

Defensive standout Jadeveon Clowney is the most-likely candidate though safeties Kareem Jackson and Tyrann Mathieu are also available to be tagged by Houston. Gaine mentioned he will meet with all three player's representation this week.

"We want to make an effort to keep all our good players," he said. "Keep our core players intact. Those guys are valuable guys."

The franchise tag grants the player the average of the top five salaries at their position for one season. The one-year deal is fully guaranteed and hits the team's salary cap as soon as the player signs his franchise tag. The team then has until mid-July to agree on an long-term contract before the player is locked into the one-year deal. A player who signs a franchise tag can be traded by his team.

Clowney's case is interesting because while he is listed as an outside linebacker he plays all over the defense. There is a difference of a few million dollars between being tagged as a linebacker and as a defensive end.

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer the NFLPA projects a linebacker to have a tag of $15.59 million while a defensive end carries a tag of $17.29 million. Pro Football Focus places Clowney at end more than linebacker in their assessment of his snaps by detailed position.

Cody's Take

No surprise Brian Gaine was tight-lipped about his next move with a lot of his free agents. He will have to start running the numbers when he begins discussions with the various free agents making sure adding say Mathieu back doesn't restrict what he can pay Clowney or Jackson.

It would seem the Texans aren't going right to the franchise tag with Clowney, but instead are using it for the tag's intended use. It was not put into the NFL's collective bargaining agreement to get out of extending a player. It was placed in there to guarantee the player some level of security while the team continues to negotiate a contract with him.

This is the approach I believe the Texans should be taking with Clowney. The franchise tag should be the last resort. Letting him walk is not an option. Short of an unbelievable haul trading him after tagging him should not be an option. They should be working with Clowney and his agent to keep him in Houston for a long time. The value of the contract will be hotly contested. If Clowney wants Khalil Mack or Aaron Donald money it might be a price too steep for the Texans to spend and ultimately that would lead to a year playing under the franchise tag. Not the worst thing for Clowney but not the best either.

If the Texans truly want him back, and there is no reason to believe they don't as he has been one of their best players for years, negotiating up to the franchise tag deadline (March 5) and using the tag if negotiations need to go further is best for all parties involved. Remember, deadlines get deals done. Next week is the first of two important deadlines for the Texans.

nfl franchise tag scouting combine jadeveon clowney houston texans

Listen Live

Texas hosts Clemson on Dec. 21. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

No. 4 Texas will be competing for a return trip to Atlanta when it plays at home against No. 13 Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

The winner of the Clemson-Texas first-round game on Dec. 21 will play No. 10 Arizona State in the Jan. 1 Peach Bowl in Atlanta in the CFP quarterfinals.

For Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, who is from Austin, Texas, the game will be a homecoming.

“We recruited him hard," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Sunday, calling Klubnik “a winner. He will do whatever it takes to put his team in position to be successful.”

Added Sarkisian: “When he made the decision to go to Clemson, honestly I wasn’t surprised. Both his parents went to (Texas) A&M.”

Klubnik applauded the announcement of the game at Texas for Clemson's seventh CFP appearance.

“For him to be going to his first playoff in Austin, Texas, where he grew up, you can’t make that up,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Pretty cool opportunity for him and his family to go compete against Texas there in Austin.”

Swinney said his only visit to the Texas stadium was to watch Klubnik play in a high school playoff game.

“We’ve never played Texas or played in that stadium,” Swinney said. “... It’s going to be amazing. It’s one of the best venues in college football.”

The Longhorns (11-2) were seeded No. 5 in the CFP following their 22-19 overtime loss to Georgia on Saturday night in the Southeastern Conference championship game in Atlanta.

Sarkisian said his players were “really excited” to see Texas land the No. 5 seed and have the opportunity to play in the Longhorns' first game against Clemson.

Texas safety Andrew Mukuba is a Clemson transfer. Sarkisian said players already were calling the matchup the “Mukuba Bowl.”

Swinney said: “I love Mukuba. I just love his spirit and love his heart. He was a really neat kid.

“I certainly wish he had been able to finish here. He did everything that was asked of him at Clemson. Made a bunch of big plays.”

Clemson (10-3) beat SMU 34-31 in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Saturday night to land an automatic CFP berth. The Tigers are ranked No. 16 in the CFP but were given the 12th and lowest seed. As the fifth-highest ranked league champion, the Tigers do not get a bye and instead must visit Texas.

Arizona State (11-2) earned a bye by rolling over Iowa State 45-19 in the Big 12 championship game Saturday. The Sun Devils were led by running back Cam Skattebo's 170 rushing yards in their impressive win to cap their first season in the Big 12.

Peach Bowl president Gary Stokan noted the Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the Big 12.

“You proved them all wrong,” Stokan told Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham.

Arizona State players celebrated the announcement of their No. 4 seed.

Dillingham said he hopes the conference championship and berth in the CFP helps him recruit and continue to build the program.

“Hopefully this stage will help get our branding out there, and show people that we can be one of the newer brands in college football," Dillingham said. "Every 10-15 years a new brand shows up, and a new brand becomes a national brand.”No. 4 Texas will be competing for a return trip to Atlanta when it plays at home against No. 13 Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff.