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Houston Texans: A plausible theory to Duane Brown’s end game

By Brian K. Patterson

FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 22: Duane Brown
FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 22: Duane Brown /
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The Houston Texans are edging their way toward the trade deadline and Duane Brown’s end game will be revealed sooner or later.

For the Houston Texans, the saga of Duane Brown‘s request for a revamped contract has likely fallen on deaf ears.  We already know how the Houston Texans feel about this.  They assert that Brown is under contract and he should report back to work as such.

As we know, things don’t work that way in the NFL as salaries have escalated but the rise of public scrutiny has done so much more.  The CTE studies, the ongoing debate of the actions of many during the national anthem at pregame ceremonies as well as overall interest in the sport all factor into a massive advantage for the sport’s biggest asset — the PLAYERS.

Brown has remained steadfast on having the remaining $19.15 million on his six-year, $53 million contract with two years left guaranteed.  So far, his cause has cost him more than $1.5 million in fines, losing roughly $550K per game as a result of his holdout.

Although I think he should return, he’s playing this just right as he may holdout himself into a situation that may be better for him with another team.  As I’ve talked about in previous piece about a week ago, the Seattle Seahawks have reportedly emerged as a possible trade partner for Brown.

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Their offensive line is hurting and a guy like DB would bolster their left side.  It’s obvious that a deal hasn’t been done yet because it’s not close enough to the deadline and I’m positive the Seahawks don’t yet want to part with what the Texans want.  They’ve been working out veteran left tackle Branden Albert who was banished from the Jacksonville Jaguars after being traded from the Miami Dolphins.

But at this time, Albert still remains in Seattle — waiting to be signed — with the Seahawks being non-committal to the offensive lineman.  This leads me to believe that the franchise is trying to figure out how to land Brown but at the right price.

Here’s what I think is going to happen:

Brown will return for game against the Seahawks in Week 8 because he cannot hold out any longer if he wants to have 2017 credited as time worked for free agency eligibility purposes.  This will be a “showcase” of sorts for Brown’s skill set despite missing half of the season. 

Within a few days after the game — the trade deadline of Tuesday, Oct. 31st by 3 p.m. CDT — Seattle will come back to the table to get a deal hammered out to trade him.

It will help that Rick Smith and John Schneider — counterparts for each other in this scenario — will get some face time to see how each other is feeling.  I’m calling it right now — the Texans will trade Duane Brown for their 2018 third-rounder and possibly a future late-round pick to get him in a situation that works for him.

Next: THREE points why to trade Tom Savage now

Although possible — I just don’t see how Brown comes back to this team on the regular as I feel irreparable harm has already been spewed out among the two sides.  This is actually the scenario that I prefer but it’s just not going to happen.

I have no doubt that things are going to start buzzing over the next week or so in regard to Brown’s future whereabouts.

We’ll see — go Texans.

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