The Houston Texans will not have a player playing on a franchise tag for the 2024 season, meaning Jonathan Greenard will headline the team's free agency class on March 15.
Greenard will enter free agency and will be one of the top pass rushers on the market. He is coming off a season where he played 15 games and recorded a career-best 12.5 sacks, 52 tackles and 22 quarterback hits during the 2023 season.
He also played a prominent role in the Texans' revamped run defense. According to Pro Football Focus, Greenard notched a run-defensive grade of 67.2, while the Texans gave up an average of 96.6 yards on the ground.
Greenard would like to remain with the Texans, and a source told Texas Daily that Houston shares the same interest. However, money will play the most significant role when it comes to Greenard continuing his career in Houston.
"J.G. had as good of a year since being in the league," general manager Nick Caserio said at the NFL Combine. "The biggest thing for J.G. is being available and taking advantage of the opportunity. He had a lot of disrupted plays for us. He is a good young player."
Greenard entered the start of the off-season with a market value of $13.4 million for a year-three deal. However, the league's franchise tag deadline may have increased Greenard's value.
Veteran pass rushes Josh Allen (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Brian Burns (Carolina Panthers) received a tag from their respective teams, which could raise the demand for Greenard's services.
Coach DeMeco Ryans has a desire to enahnce Houston's defensive line. But retaining Greenard's services will help Ryans reach his objective, given that any other pass rusher would cost the Texans a similar price.
He is one of four remaining pass rushes set to hit free agency who recorded 10 or more sacks from the previous season. However, Greenard is the youngest of the four players who achieved the feat at 26 years old. The other pass rushers are Denico Autry, Jadeveon Clowney and Chris Jones.
"J.G. did a good job for us. He was very productive, his play was physical," Ryans said. "He did the things we asked him to do. We'll see where free agency plays out but we love JG. We loved what he did for us this year."
Greenard entered the league as the Texans' third-round pick (No. 90 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. He has been a staple of Houston's defensive front over the previous four years, recording 41 quarterback hits and 23.0 sacks across 48 games.
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