HEADLINE

Reports: Texans’ Clowney fires agent, visits Dolphins

Field Level Media

August 27, 2019 at 8:33 pm.

Houston Texans’ pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney is looking for new representation and has even visited a potential new team, multiple outlets reported on Tuesday.

Clowney, who reportedly is frustrated with talks involving his NFL future, fired agent Bus Cook. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Clowney apparently did so over five days ago.

The 26-year-old Clowney has yet to sign his franchise tender, which is worth either $15.967 million or $17.128 million depending on the grievance over whether he’s a defensive end or an outside linebacker, and has skipped all of training camp. He cannot be traded until the tender is signed, giving him leverage over any potential deal.

Multiple outlets also reported that Clowney met with the Miami Dolphins and had an in-person sitdown with head coach Brian Flores.

The Miami Herald reported that the Dolphins consider themselves the favorite among the potential destinations for Clowney, who has also been linked with the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles. The Houston Chronicle reported that the Seahawks and Eagles are preferred by Clowney.

The Texans open the regular season on Monday, Sept. 9, at the New Orleans Saints.

Houston coach Bill O’Brien told reporters on Tuesday that he has trust in his other pass rushers should the team be without Clowney.

“Absolutely, we have a good package of scheme, a good package of players,” O’Brien said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that can rush the passer plus do what we do within our scheme. So, I think we’ve proven over the years that even when we’ve had guys out with injuries, we’ve still had an ability to get to the quarterback.”

Clowney, the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of South Carolina, has flashed his edge-rushing skills after being limited by injuries at the start of his pro career. Clowney had 9.5 sacks in 2017 while starting every game, and he posted nine sacks last season while appearing in 15 games (14 starts). He has 21 quarterback hits in each of the last two years.

He has 29 sacks over the past four seasons and has earned Pro Bowl nods in each of the past three years.

Clowney can be a free agent in March 2020, if he is not tagged again. He cannot sign a contract extension with the Texans — or any team that acquires him — until the 2019 season is over.