As expected, the Houston Texans and pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney did not come to an agreement on a long-term deal before the deadline. Now, Clowney will have to play out the 2019 season on the franchise tag, but there’s an issue with that which goes beyond the normal frustrations players feel about the tag itself.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that the “NFLPA is anticipated to file a grievance against the Texans over the position assigned to franchise DE/LB Jadeveon Clowney.”
This isn’t a new issue, but now that Clowney has officially failed to land a long-term deal the player’s association is going to push against Houston’s designation.
The reason being, Clowney is going to earn approximately $1.7 million less than a defensive end would make on the franchise tag. While he is officially a linebacker in Houston’s 3-4 scheme, what he does schematically aligns much more with what defensive ends do in a 4-3 scheme.
It’s been reported for over a week that Clowney will miss a significant portion of training camp without a long-term contract. Clearly, he and the Texans don’t see eye to eye about his value, both from a long-term, and from a valuation perspective.