2019 NFL Free Agents: Rumors, Predictions on Jadeveon Clowney, Nick Foles, More

The 2018 NFL season was a beautiful one for the Houston Texans in November.

At that point, the Texans were in the midst of a nine-game winning streak, and they appeared to have the game-changing talent on both sides of the ball that could have led to a long playoff run.

However, once the winning streak came to an end, the Texans appeared to fade out. They needed a win in their final regular-season game to clinch the AFC South, and they were dispatched by the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card game.

That 21-7 home loss was the most one-sided of Wild Card Weekend, and it was clearly a disappointing finish for a team that seemed capable of so much more.

Disappointing finishes have become quite common under head coach Bill O'Brien.

The Texans are one of 31 teams that will not win the Super Bowl on February 3 in Atlanta, and that means there is plenty to do in the offseason.

The Texans have a couple of big-time free agents in outside linebacker/pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney and free safety Tyrann Mathieu, and the Texans are likely to make a strong run at signing both players.

NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Texans are expected to keep both players, even if it means putting a franchise tag on Clowney.

Clowney can dominate a game with his athletic ability, nastiness and strength. He had 47 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks this season, and he has demonstrated that he must be accounted for on every snap by opposing offenses or he will be in a position to make an impact play.

The 1-2 defensive punch of Clowney and J.J. Watt makes the Texans a difficult opponent for opposing offensive coordinators to game-plan against.

Clowney earned $5.568 million in 2018, and that figure is well below what the top outside linebackers earned last season. Chicago's Khalil Mack was the top earner at the position at $23.5 million, per Sportrac.

Von Miller of the Denver Broncos earned slightly more than $19 million, while Olivier Vernon of the New York Giants earned $17 million.

Clowney is not likely to get a contract offer in the Mack neighborhood, but a salary of $17 million or more could be within his sights. If the two sides can't come to an agreement, the Texans need to franchise him to keep him around.

Mathieu was known as "The Honey Badger" during his college career at LSU. He played the first five years of his career with the Arizona Cardinals before signing a one-year, $7 million deal with the Texans prior to last year.

Mathieu is a big hitter, and he finished the season with 89 tackles, eight passes defensed and two interceptions. He is clearly a productive player, but he has only had one season with more than two interceptions in his career, and he has not established himself as a star.

His salary ranked eighth among free safeties, and it doesn't seem likely that he will improve on that level in the upcoming offseason based on his overall play.

Nick Foles filled in brilliantly for starting quarterback Carson Wentz last year, and he led the Philadelphia Eagles to their first Super Bowl championship in team history.

Foles is once again playing quarterback for the Eagles as they try to repeat their postseason success. While they still have a long way to go, Foles has shown he can make big plays at the most important moments.

Foles signed a two-year free-agent contract with the Eagles in 2017, and while another year was added to that deal, he has a potential out in the offseason. Foles' contract carries a cap value of $13.6 million for the current season.

Since Foles has proved his value, the Eagles are expected to either franchise him or exercise his $20 million contract option, per Rapoport.

They will do that so they can get value for him in a trade and not just lose him without getting any assets in return.

The highest paid players who are scheduled to be free agents this offseason are linebacker Ezekiel Ansah of the Detroit Lions and DeMarcus Lawrence of the Dallas Cowboys. Both players earned $17.143 million in 2018.

Predictions

The expectations are that the Texans will find a way to keep Clowney and Mathieu.

The Mathieu negotiations will almost certainly be much easier than the Clowney discussions. Mathieu's contract will probably end up in the $7-8 million range.

Clowney's negotiations will not be easy. He will attempt to gain a contract that pays him at an elite level, and the Texans are likely to franchise him if there is no agreement. 

That will raise Clowney's pay level, but franchising a player is not the best way to improve the relationship between a player and the team.

Look for the Eagles to exercise Foles' option and then move him in what could be a red-hot trade market for the backup quarterback.