One of the players mentioned as a possible trade target in the draft is Houston Texans outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney. According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, that’s not happening.
On Thursday morning, McClain wrote (on Twitter) that, “Jadeveon Clowney’s not going anywhere. They want to sign him to an extension. If not, he’ll play under the franchise tag.”
Recently, it’s been reported that Houston and Clowney are far apart in talks about a contract extension. That led to speculation that perhaps the Texans could do what Seattle and Kansas City did with Frank Clark and Dee Ford, moving Clowney in a trade.
However, Texans general manager Brian Gaine addressed the media a week before the draft and made it clear the team is very much trying to work out a long-term deal with him.
The Texans have plenty of cap space at this time. According to Over The Cap, they have the second-most cap space of any NFL team except the Indianapolis Colts, with nearly $42 million to spare.