Nick Caserio took over as the general manager of the Houston Texans in 2021, and by 2023, he turned them into a winning franchise. He not only unloaded Deshaun Watson and won arguably the most lopsided trade in NFL history but also landed one of the top young coaches, DeMeco Ryans, and quarterbacks, C.J. Stroud, in the league.
With Stroud still on his rookie deal, Caserio has been able to build a deep roster with several high-priced veterans. He still has a couple of years before Stroud asks for a new contract but that doesn't mean he can just hand out bad contracts.
With that in mind, let's look ahead to the 2025 offseason and identify three players the Texans should begin extension talks with as well as two pending free agents they can let walk.
Note: The Texans are estimated to have roughly $19 million in cap space in 2025 according to OverTheCap.com.
Extend: Jalen Pitre, S
A second-round pick from Baylor in 2022, Jalen Pitre is in his third season in the NFL and isn't set for free agency until 2026. However, the Texans have shown a desire to lock up their players early, which they did with Nico Collins this offseason. With Collins entering his fourth season, they agreed to terms on an extension that paid him $72.5 million over three years. At the time, that felt like a rich deal for Collins but with his start in 2024, it feels like they won that gamble.
Pitre won't bring in that type of money, but he's going to be due a hefty pay increase. He has yet to recapture the ball-hawking prowess he showed as a rookie when he had five picks, but he's a playmaker who has improved each season in the league. He's an elite run defender, makes plays behind the line of scrimmage, and can play the slot. Locking him up before he has another huge season could be a win for the bottom line in Houston.
Let Walk: Eric Murray, S
While they want to keep Pitre around, the Texans need to start letting some of the older veterans in the secondary go. Eric Murray has always been an underrated player but he will turn 31 before the start of the 2025 campaign. Rookie Calen Bullock needs to develop a bit more but can start next to Pitre. They might also need to have a discussion about Jimmie Ward, who is under contract for the 2025 season but has struggled to stay healthy.
Extend: Stefon Diggs, WR
Houston swung a trade for Stefon Diggs this offseason, bringing in a high-priced but proven wideout to help C.J. Stroud and the offense take their game to the next level. After five games, it's easy to think Diggs isn't living up to expectations since he has yet to record a 100-yard game for the Texans. However, he's been far better than he gets credit for.
Diggs didn't explode to start the season with 70 yards on 10 catches in the first two games — although he did have two touchdowns in the win at Indianapolis. But since then, he's been vastly improved, with 94 yards in Week 3, 69 in Week 4, and 82 in Week 5. Even with the low yardage to start, he's on pace for 101 receptions for 1,243 yards and eight touchdowns. Those numbers could look even better over the next four games with Nico Collins on the IR.
Simply put, Diggs is an excellent option in this offense and the Texans should attempt to re-sign him when his contract expires this offseason.
The only caveat here is that Houston can't pay Diggs an astronomical amount, which is what Buffalo had to do when signing him to a four-year, $96 million extension in 2022. That was re-negotiated into a one-year deal for $22.52 million when he landed in Houston, which is why he will be a free agent in 2025.
If Houston can get him to agree to a manageable two-or-three year deal where he's paid to be a great WR2 — and not an elite WR1 — they have to pull the trigger.
Let Walk: Robert Woods, WR
Robert Woods had a couple of gaffes when fielding punts inside the five-yard line during Houston's Week 5 win but made up for it with a savvy gain to help set up the game-winning kick.
A 12-year vet, Woods has always been a trusted pass-catcher and even has two 1,000-yard campaigns under his belt (2018, 2019). In his first season with the Texans, he had 426 yards and a touchdown on 40 receptions — although he caught just 53.3 percent of his targets.
This year, he's been a non-factor with 28 yards on three catches. His ability to return kicks keeps him on the active roster, but he's not living up to his $9.7 million cap hit and at 32 years of age, it's going to be time for the Texans to move on when his deal is up.
Extend: Derek Stingley, Jr., CB
In addition to locking up Jalen Pitre, the Texans need to ensure they keep Derek Stingley, Jr. around as long as possible. Selected 15th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft out of LSU, Stingley enters the sixth week of this season as the 15th-best cornerback in the league according to PFF. As impressive as that is, it's lower than where he finished last year when he was No. 9.
Houston will be able to use the fifth-year option on Stingley, but players have been able to secure new deals even with that in place — which was the case with CeeDee Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys.
Stingley's only knock has been durability with just 20 games played in his first two seasons. Still, he has 98 tackles, 22 pass defenses, and seven picks in 25 games. If he can remain healthy this year, it would be wise to lock him up before his asking price goes too high.