FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots have agreed to exchange long-standing tackle Marcus Cannon with the Houston Texans in an agreement that involves an exchange of choices for intermediate and final rounds, sources told ESPN.
Cannon had opted out of the 2020 season, and sources said a catalyst for the switch was that he did not report to the Patriots for a physical exam and training – because of COVID-19 considerations – with the other players on the team who chose to leave.
The 1.80 m, 1.80 meter Cannon, a survivor of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is from Texas. He also played college at Texas Christian.
The deal cannot be made official until the start of the league year, which starts on Wednesday at 4 pm ET.
Houston currently has two offensive tackle holders under contract: left tackle Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard in the first round of 2019. If both remain in lineup before the start of the 2021 season, Howard can return to the starting lineup. During his debut season, Howard played left guard and left tackle before being moved to the right tackle.
Cannon appeared in 115 NFL regular season games (69 games) and 19 playoff games (11 games). He was part of three teams in the Super Bowl championship in New England, which selected him in the fifth round of the 2011 draft.
The Patriots, who previously agreed to negotiate with Trent Brown, Las Vegas Raiders, will save about $ 6.3 million in the salary cap with Cannon’s switch.
The deal would be the first exchange between Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his longtime player team director Nick Caserio, who is in his first season as general manager of Houston.
The Boston Globe first reported the trade.
ESPN’s Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.