Jadeveon Clowney’s career filled with high expectations is now supposed to deliver a Houston Texans Super Bowl
Jadeveon Clowney is back with the Houston Texans, an addition that comes with much attention, and the expectation of fielding the NFL's best defense. and Super Bowl talk.
But, please, pump the brakes.
Because if there's one thing Clowney's 12-year career has taught us, it is that high expectations have too often gone unrealized.
The one-time No. 1 overall selection in the NFL Draft spent this offseason as a valued free agent until he agreed on Sunday to rejoin the Texans, the team that originally drafted him in 2014.
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And, true to form, Clowney arrives with commotion and fanfare for great things ahead. Fans are aflutter that this familiar name is aboard for the coming season and Clowney is doing nothing to minimize the excitement by talking about a Super Bowl.
"I can help contribute and (we have) a good chance to chase a Super Bowl," Clowney told KPRC 2 Houston.
In another interview Clowney said he's learned to lead during his career and knows what it takes to get to a Super Bowl.
So, lotta high expectations, y'all.
Except this is where the Clowney reality begs caution. Because Clowney has never won a Super Bowl. He's never played in a Super Bowl.
And while that doesn't prevent him from helping the Texans in 2026, he won't be leading the charge. He'll be supporting starters Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter who were both top 10 in sacks last season.
Clowney is a piece to the puzzle on a defense that was No. 2 in fewest points allowed last season behind the Seattle Seahawks. He's not the signature piece.
"We're continuously trying to build depth, especially in that room because of the way we play and stylistically what we ask those guys to do," said Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke. "It is important. It's important for us to be able to keep guys fresh and to keep Danielle and Will and those guys throwing fastballs through the whole game. The depth piece is an important piece for us."
The Texans and Clowney agreed to a one-year deal worth $5.5 million. The deal includes incentives that could push that money higher.
But this isn't about money for Clowney, who had been negotiating with multiple teams including the Cleveland Browns.
Clowney lives in Houston, so it makes sense for him. And he loves the idea of playing for Texans coach DeMeco Ryans.
"I was looking forward to playing for DeMeco," Clowney said. "Pretty exciting coach to play for. I reached out to him and told him I wanted to play for him,
"It was a family decision. It wasn't about the money, it was about chasing my legacy and chasing a Super Bowl. I've got a lot of game left and I want to contribute."
Clowney returns to Houston, in part, because of its head coach. He was traded by Houston just prior to the 2019 season, in part, because he feuded with coach Bill O'Brien.
Clowney was picked with the No. 1 overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft to be perhaps an all-timer and definitely a perennial Pro Bowler. But that's not what happened.
He earned three Pro Bowl invites, the last one coming in 2018. He didn't turn into the unstoppable sack-machine the Texans originally hoped, indeed, he's a more consistent run-stopper than pass rusher.
Clowney wasn't even the best pass rusher or defensive lineman in 2014 because Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald were selected later in that fateful draft. Clowney has never delivered a double-digit sack season.
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So the player selected to be a franchise cornerstone has bounced around with seven teams.
This all, of course, serves as a sober caution: High expectations and Jadeveon Clowney have been constant companions in the NFL and the current Super Bowl talk in Houston continues that.
But the history is the history.
