The Houston Texans are currently have the 10th-most salary cap space in the NFL after they have made 10 roster moves already this offseason where it came to releasing or waiving players to make room for said cap space.
The Texans have some very large contracts (base salary) for the 2021 season they must pay if players are kept on the roster. Some of the higher paid players on the roster many probably already can figure out, but some might not believe where they rank — and who ranks ahead of them — in the Top 5 by how much they are being paid for the upcoming 2021 NFL season.
Currently, the Top 5 highest paid players on the roster of the Houston Texans consist of three offensive players and two players from the defense. The Texans are also 10th in the NFL in salary cap space for the 2021 season at $33.16 million.
Honorable mentions who just missed making the Top 5 highest paid players in base salary for the Houston Texans in 2021 are: inside linebacker Zach Cunningham: ($8.5 million), wide receiver Randall Cobb ($8.24 million), inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney ($7 million) and strong safety Eric Murray ($5 million).
Next are the Top 5 highest paid players for the 2021 Houston Texans:
5. Bradley Roby (cornerback): $8.94 million
Being one of the top players needed for the defense in 2021, cornerback Bradley Roby didn’t have the best ending to his 2020 season because he was suspended for the final six games of the season due to a PED violation.
In 10 games this past season, Roby totaled 37 combined tackles with one interception. Roby also had seven passes defensed, one fumble recovery, four assisted tackles and two tackles for loss. Roby was targeted by the opposing offense 37 times in 2020, where he allowed 20 receptions. His PFF grade for the ’20 season was 71.6 overall (out of 100).
Roby is entering his eighth season in the NFL in 2021, his third with the Houston Texans. In two seasons with the Texans, Roby had totaled 20 starts (20 games played), three interceptions, one touchdown, 15 passes defensed, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one sack, 68 solo tackles, four TFL and even one QB hit.
The Texans will much need Roby to stay on the field for the entire 2021 season if they have any thoughts of improvement on the defensive side of the ball in 2021.
4. Whitney Mercilus (Outside Linebacker): $10.5 million
To be honest, the Houston Texans needed more from their outside linebacker in 2020. In fact, it was not a season to remember for Mercilus because in 13 games played, he totaled just 11 solo tackles as an outside linebacker. Not only that, but Mercilus had just four sacks and one pass defensed in ’20 as well. It is easy to say the season could have gone better for the linebacker.
According to PFF, they graded Mercilus at 39.6 overall in 2020 (out of 100), with the linebacker playing a total of 614 snaps, including 330 pass rush snaps and 245 run defense snaps.
Comparing last season to the ’19 season of Mercilus, there was a decline in play, as that season he totaled 26 solo tackles and eight sacks with his PFF grade that season being 65.0 in 16 games played.
Much more will be needed from Mercilus in 2021 as he’s now the fourth highest paid player on the roster for the 2021 season. He didn’t live up to the large contract given to him by former general manager/head coach Bill O’Brien in ’20, but ’21 is a new season.
Mercilus is a player to watch to see if improvement on the field is made, especially when it comes to his overall sack numbers. The Texans will need him to be at his very best for the defense to be any better than they were a season ago.
3. Deshaun Watson (Quarterback): $10.54 million
As of right now, Deshaun Watson is on the roster, and if he’s on the roster of the Houston Texans when the season begins, he’s currently the third highest paid player in base salary in 2021 for the franchise.
It doesn’t seem right that Watson isn’t in the Top 2 of highest paid players in base salary for the upcoming 2021 season, as he’s the best player on the entire roster. Watson might be traded or he could also be a holdout, but as of this posting, though, the quarterback of the Houston Texans is Watson.
Watson has asked for a trade from the Texans due to a lot of off-the-field issues between him and the front office of the Texans, and he would bring in a lot of capital if he were to be traded. That decision still hasn’t been made, but it has been reported that the Texans aren’t listening to any trade offers.
Watson last season totaled 4,823 yards passing to lead the NFL in 16 games played. He also set the single-season Texans record for touchdown passes at 33, and he threw just seven total interceptions. He also rushed for 444 yards on 90 carries with three touchdowns.
Time will tell if Deshaun Watson stays with the Houston Texans, but until the decision is made for him to no longer be on the roster, he’s going to be the third highest paid player on the team for the 2021 season.
2. Brandin Cooks (Wide Receiver): $12 million
Joining the team this past season for a trade of a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams, Brandin Cooks had a very solid season with the Houston Texans as he caught for over 1,000 yards with Deshaun Watson as his starting quarterback.
As of right now, Cooks won’t be competing with Will Fuller for targets as Fuller is a free agent, but Cooks is coming off a season where he collected 81 receptions off 115 targets for 1,150 yards receiving, plus he had six receiving touchdowns, averaging 14.2 yards per reception in 15 games played. Cooks — who had a PFF grade of 81.1 for his ’20 season — also had zero fumbles and five drops this past season.
Cooks is a valuable player for the Texans, and he makes the offense dangerous no matter who his quarterback will be in 2021. He should be used to having various quarterbacks, as that has been the case for Cooks his entire career. Cooks has been lucky enough to play with Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Watson during his NFL career.
If the Houston Texans keep Cooks for the ’21 season, he could be the most exciting player on the offense, and if Deshaun Watson is traded, Cooks could become the most important player on the offense no matter the position.
1. Laremy Tunsil (Left Tackle): $16.15 million
The addition of Laremy Tunsil has made the biggest difference of all in the career of quarterback Deshaun Watson and has made the offense better as a unit. Laremy Tunsil is one of the very best left tackles in all of the NFL. He does cost a lot of money to have on the roster, but he’s helped keep Deshaun Watson healthy, and he’s just a very good — no, he’s a great left tackle.
In ’20, Tunsil played in 817 offensive snaps, where he totaled just eight penalties and allowed two sacks. At PFF, they graded the left tackle at 75.4 overall (out of 100), and of his 817 snaps, 562 were pass block snaps and 255 were run block snaps.
It will be an interesting decision for the Texans if they keep Tunsil and trade Watson, as Tunsil was brought in for the purpose to protect their superstar franchise quarterback. This isn’t saying the Texans would trade Tunsil as well, but one must think would the Texans want to pay the premium price that Tunsil costs if they do trade the player they brought him in to protect.
A lot of the decision making by the Texans doesn’t make sense at time, but what does make sense is the fact Laremy Tunsil is a great player and earns his paycheck each and every week.