The NFL decided to get wild, adding an additional $30 million or so to every team's salary cap for the 2024 offseason. That means that teams like the Houston Texans, who were already swimming in available cap space, now got even richer.
The Texans were believed to be eying guys like Saquon Barkley, Mike Evans, and maybe some other free agents, with the idea that they'd improve their roster some, and risk in year two of the C.J. Stroud/DeMeco Ryans Era. The problem was, a lot of guys that were on the Texans in 2023 who were going to be free agents this season weren't expected to return. The biggest name that many thought would return was maybe Jonathan Greenard, the team's sack leader from this past season.
However, that seemed like a stretch with the limitations of the money and the fact that the team wanted to make, allegedly, some big swings in free agency. Well, the team no longer has to make that tough decision on who to bring back, as the team now has more than enough to re-sign core free agents and go fishing for some big game at the same time.
Not only are guys like Greenard and Blake Cashman likely to be brought back, but Barkley Evans, maybe Hassan Riddick, and even Kyle Dugger could all be brought in this off-season. The Texans could easily make all of our wildest dreams come true this offseason, thanks to a generous gift from the NFL (and maybe Taylor Swift?)
The Texans' offseason just got super serious, however. While the team had a lot of money before, they had a lot of free agents to re-sign, and it was unlikely they'd land three, let alone two All-Pro caliber players, but now with this hike in cap space, plus the cap wizards that each team has, it's not just likely, it's expected that the Texans will go after every major name at every position of need this offseason.
Anything less will be a disappointment.