Rumors persisted around the NFL water cooler on Monday that the Houston Texans might be close to dealing Pro Bowl pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
Among the teams linked to the former No. 1 overall pick, the Miami Dolphins were talked about a great deal. Given Clowney’s status as a holdout from camp and the Dolphins’ pass-rush needs, a trade seemed to make sense.
Now so fast. According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins will not be trading for Clowney.
Per Salguero, Miami’s lack of interest in Clowney stems from the team having its eye on the 2020 NFL Draft and the quarterback position. It stands to reason that the Dolphins are already showing interest in Heisman front runner and Alabama signal caller Tua Tagovailoa.
Any move to acquire someone of Clowney’s ilk would require moving at least a first-round pick to Houston in a trade. Miami obviously isn’t interested in that possibility.
As it relates to Clowney, there’s still a chance he’ll be traded before Week 1. Texans head coach Bill O’Brien noted just recently that he has no idea when the three-time Pro Bowler will actually report to camp.
Clowney, 26, is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is said to be looking for one of the biggest pay days for a defender in NFL history.