Duane Brown To Miss Mandatory Mini-Camp, Holding Out For New Deal

According to Aaron Wilson of the Chronicle, one of the most important pieces of the Texans’ offense will be missing in action today—after he skipped OTAs—as the team reconvenes to begin their mandatory minicamp.

Duane Brown can be subjected to fines of up to $80,000 if he skips the entire minicamp, though that would be a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things if this absence results in a contract extension with some additional guaranteed money. What Brown really wants more than just a pay raise is long term security. He has two years and over $19 million dollars remaining on his current deal, but neither of those years are guaranteed.

All it would take is one major freak injury to an offensive linemen on the wrong side of 30 with a big cap hit, and Brown’s time in Houston could be done. To make sure that the worst case scenario never happens, a new deal for Brown could give him some much-needed financial security for his family while potentially providing some cap flexibility for the Texans over the course of the next two seasons.

We will eventually see what Rick Smith is able to negotiate with his star left tackle to make all parties equally happy in the long run, but as of right now, this holdout has no end in sight.