Breaking down how the Houston Texans benefit from reportedly restructuring the remaining two years of starting right guard, Zach Fulton.
The Houston Texans made a savvy move after Field Yates of ESPN reported that they are restructuring Zach Fulton’s deal for the remaining two years. Fulton had initially inked a four year deal worth $28 million with only $13 million guaranteed. Fulton was entering the last two years of his deal with $14 million on the books, but none of it was guaranteed.
With both sides willing to get back to the negotiating table, Fulton will earn $5 million, which will all be guaranteed for this season and $3 million next season. Those numbers are a lot smaller for the Texans to manage as they work for future flexibility.
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Fulton benefitted from this restructured deal as he will now earn guaranteed money that he can bring home from the bank. There was very little incentive for Fulton to persist in not revising his deal with none of the remaining money being guaranteed. He will now have the financial security to earn good money as a starter for this season and possibly remain a part of the offensive line for next season also.
Waiving Fulton on his prior contract to save money was always a stretch due to his good play over the last two seasons. Fulton has been a solid starter on the Texans offensive line, and only surrendered one sack last season through 15 games of regular-season action. His versatility of playing multiple positions and knowledge of the offense are factors the Texans have valued in the past in Fulton.
The Texans’ ability to execute a minor move like this deep in the offseason should not be overlooked. They not only kept a good player happy by giving him guaranteed money up front, but they managed to save money in the process.
Opening up that money can allow the Texans to make other minor moves to sign players to the roster for the upcoming season or open up the avenue of absorbing a contract through trade. Bill O’Brien remains a very aggressive front office executive and has been prone to make trades to address needs on the roster.