Houston Texans: Why is Duane Brown holding himself out of OTAs?

The Houston Texans have already reached the milestone of being at that time again.

The Houston Texans have already reached the milestone of being at that time again.

What’s going on?

The Houston Texans are now going through the motions of organized team activities (OTAs) and this is the first time that the stars of the team will be able to practice together.

That’s incredible.

I felt like I just blinked and the draft was over, now we’re actually getting to see those picks along with the players under contract knock the rust off their bodies.

Before you know it, it will be officially be training camp time and then it will be time to line up on the field for the next 16 weeks after that’s over.

Who will impress?  Who will disappoint?

We’re about to find out over the next couple of weeks.

At least we know that J.J. Watt is feeling fine, Deshaun Watson and Tom Savage are going to be battling for the coveted spot under center.

It’s early but it’s certainly good to hear any news about our Houston Texans in the long off season.

But one familiar face won’t be participating in OTAs.

Who is that you may ask?

That’s none other than left tackle Duane Brown.

According to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, Brown has decided to hold himself out of the practices to see if he can get his remaining years on his contract restructured.

So what kind of a contract is he on now?

Brown is currently in his 4th year of a six-year, $53.4 million deal signed back in 2012.

His average salary per season is around $8.9 million per season, his salary is ranked 15th among offensive linemen in 2017 and 29th as far the value of the full contract.

It’s likely the latter that’s fueling him to force a restructure.

Brown is represented by MS World, a sports representation firm — with some notable clients — that is headed up by shrewd industry vet & former New England Patriot Kennard McGuire.

Does Andre Johnson and Vince Wilfork ring a bell?

How about Brandon Marshall?

Those are some names currently associated with the firm.

McGuire notes on his Web site that his firm has negotiated a $1 billion worth of contracts through its existence.

That equates to a handsome percentage that he has received over time.

With all of these holdouts, money is certainly the motivation and there’s no exception here.

He likely wants more guaranteed money in his deal as the remaining two years left are not.

So with all of these variables, he’s making statement by sitting out.

Next: Is Breno Giacomini the answer at right tackle?

Whether that translates to the Texans — who Wilson says they typically don’t renegotiate deals with that many years left — remains to be seen.

But in a nutshell, missing OTAs doesn’t cost him a lot of money but if he starts holding out of training camp, that’s when it could be costly for him.

I’d suspect that we’ll see him back soon — besides, he had a bounce-back season after injuring his patellar tendon the season before last.

We’ll see how this plays out!

Go Texans.