Jadeveon Clowney has chosen Houston over Cleveland.
That’s the latest twist in a free-agency story that had already caught plenty of people off guard. Just last week, Clowney was making a surprise visit to Browns training camp in Berea, a development that felt strange enough on its own given the comments he made about the team and DE Myles Garrett when he left in 2022.
Instead, the veteran pass rusher is heading back to the place where his NFL career began. On Sunday, Clowney decided a reunion with the Houston Texans was more appealing than a return to the Browns, the team that would have been trying to replace the production lost when Garrett was traded to the Los Angeles Rams.
Clowney’s game has bounced back in a meaningful way since his time in Cleveland. Over the last three seasons, he has piled up 24.5 sacks, which is exactly the kind of production that could have helped the Browns absorb the blow of losing Garrett.
The terms of Clowney’s deal with Houston have not been released, so it’s still unclear how much money factored into the decision. Location may have mattered, too.
Clowney is a South Carolina native, but after spending last season with the Dallas Cowboys, he may not have wanted to leave Texas again. This would mark four straight seasons of moving significant distances for new teams, and that could have weighed on him as he sorted through free agency.
Houston’s direction likely helped as well. The Texans have made the postseason in each of the last three seasons, and that kind of playoff track record can make a reunion look a lot more attractive.
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