You also don't want to be the sucker that lets him go for free and your pass rush disappears. JJ Watt won't be JJ Watt forever.
OK, who knows a real fortune teller that isn't a quack? We need to find out if Oliver will slip a little further in the draft projections and be available on our first pick. If so, then we trade Clowney for some 1st round picks and more, then draft Oliver 1st round, and bring that U of H stud in as our future JJ Watt.
Franchise tag is still a one-year, prove-it year, (go-all-out) contract-year deal. You either believe he'll stay healthy, be good, work hard, get better every day over a 6-year(ish) deal or you don't(get paid & "coast"). If you don't think he's a "worker bee" now, you think he will be when he gets paid? (I'm still against giving him a long-term deal.)
Hearing more speculation that he could go the Leveon Bell route if he gets tagged. I could see that given his history for injuries his first few seasons, and if he were to have a serious injury during his contract year that would cost him a lot of money down the road.
Spoiler I would take the two firsts. "Another scenario, albeit one considered unlikely: If a team signed Clowney to an offer sheet and the Texans opted not to match, they would be owed two first-round draft picks." https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sp...anchise-tag-for-Jadeveon-Clowney-13626065.php An expensive, complicated game of tag is about to unfold between the Texans and outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney. Tuesday marks the first day NFL teams can use the franchise tag to prevent a player from becoming an unrestricted free agent. If the Texans are unable to negotiate a blockbuster contract extension for Clowney — an undertaking that could cost them $100 million or more over the length of a new deal — by a March 5 deadline to use the tag, then the AFC South champions are expected to designate the former top overall pick as their franchise player, according to sources not authorized to speak publicly, who also say no new deal is imminent for the Pro Bowler. Although a new contract hasn’t been ruled out this year, the franchise tag would buy the Texans and Clowney more time. They would have until a July 16 NFL deadline to negotiate a new deal. Otherwise, Clowney would be slated to play the 2019 season under the franchise tag. It will be a costly exercise to keep Clowney on the roster under the franchise tag, and it would likely involve his utilizing his right to miss part or all of the offseason and training camp. How much it will cost to make Clowney the franchise player will hinge on which position he’s classified as playing the majority of his snaps. Under a projected $190 million salary cap for this league year, the defensive end franchise tag would be roughly $17.144 million. The projected linebacker designation is $14.953 million. The franchise-tag number is derived by either an average of the top five salaries at a position or 120 percent of a player’s previous salary, whichever figure is higher. Another scenario, albeit one considered unlikely: If a team signed Clowney to an offer sheet and the Texans opted not to match, they would be owed two first-round draft picks. The Texans have employed the franchise tag only once in their history, using the designation in 2009 for cornerback Dunta Robinson when former general manager Rick Smith was running the personnel department. Now, as general manager Brian Gaine enters his second year in charge of the Texans’ personnel department, it’s up to him, working in tandem with coach Bill O’Brien, to make the big decision on Clowney. The Texans paid Clowney an extra $1 million at the end of last season to settle a dispute on how he was classified under the fifth-year club option. He was originally due $12.306 million. It’s up to the NFL management council to determine which position Clowney should be classified under depending on the amount of snaps he lined up at defensive end and linebacker. Clowney played 795 snaps as a pure defensive lineman last season, according to Pro Football Focus. The analytics-based site counted 255 outside linebacker snaps for Clowney. It’s possible the Texans and Clowney could split the difference between the defensive end and linebacker tags and reach a financial compromise. If the Texans opted to use the franchise tag again on Clowney in 2020, they would have to pay him 120 percent of the 2019 compensation. Figuring out how much to pay Clowney is complicated. Last year, Chicago Bears pass rusher Khalil Mack signed a six-year, $141 million deal that includes $90 million guaranteed with a $34 million signing bonus. And Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald signed a six-year, $135 million contract that includes $86.892 million guaranteed with a $40 million signing bonus. The Texans aren’t expected to pay Clowney anywhere near that much. During the NFL scouting combine next week, Texans senior vice president of football administration Chris Olsen and Clowney’s Mississippi-based agent, Bus Cook, are expected to meet to discuss Clowney. The Texans want Clowney back. How they go about securing his services remains a fluid situation.
This is where I am on it, too. What pass rush are we talking about? We don't have a consistent pass rush with the current group. I'm not sure I'd double down on that.
There was a lot of talk about whether Mark Davis even had enough cash to sign Mack last season. Even if partially true, don't think much has changed where they'd turn around and pay Clowney. If anything, they'd be in a worse position.
Well they have $71M now. No idea how many players currently under contract and who they have need to resign though.