The
Jadeveon Clowney era in Houston has reached its end.
The 2014 first overall pick is
headed to Seattle, one of his two reportedly preferred trade destinations, as the
Seahawks agreed to acquire him from the
Texans.
In return, Houston will receive linebackers
Barkevious Mingo and
Jacob Martin in addition to a third-round pick.
Here's how both teams made out:
Seahawks: A-
It's a low-risk, high-reward move for Seahawks general manager John Schneider. He parted with two reserve linebackers and a non-premium draft pick that he can recoup via the compensatory formula if Clowney leaves as a free agent in 2020. With the addition of Clowney, Seattle can field one of the most fierce front sevens in the NFL:
POSITION PLAYER
EDGE Jadeveon Clowney
DT Jarran Reed*
DT Poona Ford
EDGE Ezekiel Ansah
LB K.J. Wright
LB Bobby Wagner
*Suspended six games for violating personal conduct policy
That group will also include pass-rusher
L.J. Collier, a first-round draft pick, once he recovers from his ankle injury.
Give Schneider and Co. credit for not panicking as the season approached and overpaying for a potential one-year rental. The Seahawks won't be able to extend Clowney during the season because of the franchise tag rules, and the 26-year-old will be searching for a gigantic deal in free agency. The Texans were reportedly keen on two of the Seahawks' starting offensive linemen in center
Justin Britt and right tackle
Germain Ifedi, but Seattle managed to keep both, making this a home run for the Seahawks.
There is, however, one puzzling aspect of this deal: Why did Seattle trade
Frank Clark only to go out a few months later and pick up Clowney? The Seahawks should know their only shot of retaining Clowney long term will be with the type of contract they refused to give Clark, who is probably the better player.
Texans: D
How does Houston - a supposed Super Bowl contender with massive concerns along the offensive line and at running back - not net more for a Pro Bowl player at a premium position? In return for a bona fide star in the prime of his career, the Texans received essentially what they gave up for a part-time running back in
Duke Johnson - a third-round pick.
Neither Mingo nor Martin should be expected to make an impact in Houston. Mingo, a first-round bust from the 2013 draft, has never managed 50 tackles in a season and hasn't collected more than two sacks since his rookie campaign. Martin, a sixth-round pick in 2018, has nine career tackles.
The Texans continue to not take advantage of
Deshaun Watson's low-priced rookie contract. They entered free agency with a boatload of cap space but pocketed the bulk of it. They had the money to extend Clowney but didn't, and they wound up getting very little for him.
Rumors piled up for weeks that Houston had become determined to shed Clowney not see him return to play on the tag. Despite what head coach Bill O'Brien insisted a day before the trade, it seemed that a rift developed between Clowney and the Texans.
The Texans don't have a general manager. They should probably consider hiring one, even though it's too late to salvage the Clowney ordeal.
