Eagles fans want Jadeveon Clowney. And, apparently, Clowney wants the Eagles.
According to a report from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Eagles and Seahawks are two of Clowney’s two preferred destinations in a potential trade.
The Dolphins are also reportedly in the mix and even consider themselves to be front-runners.
But this is an interesting situation for several reasons. Because Clowney has not signed his franchise tender, the Texans can’t trade him until he does. That basically gives the 26-year-old pass rusher veto power over any trade he doesn’t want.
The Texans seem keen on trading him too; Texans head coach and acting GM Bill O’Brien recently said the ball is in Clowney’s court.
The other interesting part of this situation is that any team that trades for Clowney would be prohibited from talking to him about a long-term extension until after the season. And if the Eagles (or any other team that trades for Clowney) give up something to get him, they’re mostly likely going to want to sign him to a long-term deal eventually.
Another twist in this story is that Clowney reportedly fired his agent today:
The Eagles could use a player like Clowney at defensive end and they’re one of about half of the NFL teams who have enough cap space to fit him this season.
But if the Eagles were to trade for Clowney, they’d then have to ask themselves the same questions the Texans have about signing him to a long-term deal. Clowney has dealt with injury, but even when healthy, he has never had 10 sacks in a season. This is a supremely talented and athletic player who hasn’t lived up to his No. 1 draft pick status for some reason.
NFL
It’s pretty clear what positions the Texans would want back. They desperately need an offensive tackle and want a running back and a receiver (likely a slot receiver). The Eagles have a surplus at those positions, so it’s easy to connect the dots here.
It still seems unlikely the Eagles land him, but with Howie Roseman as GM, you can never rule anything out.
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