The Houston Texans have made all of the right free agent decisions
By T.A. Mock
What’s getting missed
The Houston Texans have offensive line problems. We’ve said a million and a half times here, it’s been said a million and a half times elsewhere. If you didn’t know that, you’ve been living under a rock for 2+ years now.
The crown gem of the free agent offensive line class was former New England Patriots left tackle Trent Brown. The former 7th round pick finally lived up to his immense potential in his first and only year in New England. He’s massive and was finally putting it all together. However, the Raiders became the team to make him the highest paid offensive tackle in the league.
The Houston Texans were never really in on Brown, despite what many fans wanted and potentially even expected. But, Brown is far from a guaranteed thing. The 49ers bailed on him after three seasons and added a 5th round pick to get a 3rd round pick. He’s also only really had one good season and it was this past year as a Patriot.
Making him the highest paid tackle in football is a risky move, especially for a guy that’s been plagued with the stuff he’s been plagued with. Additionally, it’s very seldom that players leave New England elite and remain at that level. Brown could obviously buck the trend but the odds are stacked against him on that.
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Beyond Brown, the Houston Texans were unable to retain the services of Tyrann Mathieu after one phenomenal season together and Kareem Jackson who leaves the team after nine seasons. Mathieu is heading to Kansas City for $42 million over three years while Jackson goes a mile up to Denver for $33 million over three years.
It was a strong possibility that one of those guys were heading out the door this offseason but losing both is honestly a surprise. However, both of those dudes got PAID and while the Texans have a lot of cap space, not spending those massive amounts is the right move, believe it or not.
The Texans reportedly were up to an average of $11 million a year for the Honey Badger, whom the team valued more than Jackson and that’s what Jackson got paid. These guys got their bag and are making their money but the Texans have other roster responsibilities that are on the horizon they could be waiting for, like Deshaun Watson‘s contract, that overpaying now for guys is a move to avoid. So, even though this may be an unpopular opinion, good call Brian Gaine, good call.