The Houston Texans reportedly are on the verge of losing a breakout star.
CornerbackĀ A.J. Bouye is expected to leave the Texans and sign elsewhere after NFL free agency begins Thursday, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
When free agency begins today, CB A.J. Bouye is likely to leave the Houston Texans and sign elsewhere, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2017
Bouye, who went undrafted in 2013, is coming off an excellent season with Houston that launched him into the discussion of this offseason’s top free agents.
The Texans primarily used Bouye as a backup over his first three years — appeared in 35 games and started just eight in that span — but he evolved into one of the league’s best cornerbacks on a solid Houston defense in 2016, setting him up for a big payday on the open market.
It’s unclear at this point which team is the front-runner to land Bouye, but it sounds like he’s generating a whole bunch of interest across the league, with each of Houston’s AFC South rivals among the teams reportedly in the mix.
Barring an unexpected change, sources say A.J. Bouye expected to leave Texans for huge free agent deal. Expected to remain in AFC South.
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/839838004369838080
UPDATE (1:40 p.m. ET): The Jacksonville Jaguars are “closing in” on a deal for Bouye, according to NFL Media.
Sources tell me and @RapSheet that A.J. Bouye and the Jaguars are closing on a deal
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) March 9, 2017
Thumbnail photo viaĀ Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports Images