Yesterday, the Houston Texans continued to trailblaze the NFL marketplace by once again filling the pockets of one of their premier players without internal pressure or national drama.
According to ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins and the Texans agreed on a contract restructuring that adds both guaranteed dollars and increased cash payouts to the remaining two years of his current deal. He explained,
"Pro-Bowl WR Nico Collins and the Texans reached agreement today on an adjusted contract that guarantees his salary the next two seasons, and also includes a $9 million cash increase this year and an $8 million cash increase next year, per his agents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus."
Per ESPN Texans Insider D.J. Bien-Aime, Collins will now make $29.875 million in 2026 as a result of the raise, making him fifth-highest among receivers.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio and co. continue to reward their franchise players very handsomely, which goes a long way towards positive public relations between themselves, players and their agents. More importantly, it further emphasizes their urgency towards winning at the highest level, which requires them to have the best weapons at every position that they can.
Texans continue compensating their best weapons
With Collins' latest contract development, Houston now has at least six players being compensated in or near the top-five range of their respective positions. This includes:
- LB Azeez Al-Shaair (three-year, $54 million, would be top-four)
- DE Will Anderson Jr. (three-year, $150 million, highest paid)
- DE Danielle Hunter (one-year, $40.1 million, top-five)
- CB Derek Stingley Jr. (three-year, $90 million, top-three)
- TE Dalton Schultz (one-year, $12.6 million, top-seven)
None of these contracts are viewed as an "over-pay", and they serve both the player's financial interests along with maintaining team flexibility in the long-term. As such, Houston is able navigate an increasingly expensive league marketplace in an efficient and fluid manner, always seeming to have the jump on other teams as they strive to manage their own personnel investments.
Texans remain ahead of the NFL marketplace
Along with offering their players top-five money, the Texans also have made it their business to issue out guaranteed dollars at a historic rate in recent years.
Last season, they gave out the first fully guaranteed contract in NFL history to a second-round draft pick in wide receiver Jayden Higgins. They re-visited the well this draft season with another second-rounder in defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, who they gave a fully guaranteed four-year, $12.9 million contract. Then you have to add in Hunter, who has literally never played a single defensive snap in Houston without a guaranteed dollar attached.
Whether it be guarantees or top-of-the-market deals, the Texans are continuing to build a reputation of being a franchise that proactively recognizes the efforts of their roster members with long-term security. Houston being any kind of "cutting edge" organization is still such a far cry from how lowly there were all of four season ago. Now, they have firmly planted themselves as a pillar of stability in an ever changing NFL landscape.
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