This offseason, the Houston Texans have spent a whole lot of time, effort, and a variety of capital adding talent to their 2023 playoff roster.
It only makes sense to take full advantage of a rookie quarterback contract while C.J. Stroud is still on one, and that's exactly what the Texans have been doing. This offseason has been all about surrounding Stroud with the necessary talent to make a Super Bowl push. But, the Texans might not be done, just yet.
In a recent article over at Bleacher Report, Alex Kay wrote on a few trades that could still happen this offseason and brought up the Texans in reference to New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
Lattimore's contract only accounts for a $14.6 million cap hit in 2024, but will soar to over $31 million in 2025, making life extremely difficult on the Saints, financially speaking.
It makes sense for both Houston and New Orleans to make a Marshon Lattimore trade happen
The proposed trade would look like this:
Kay brings up a good point regarding the Saints' cap situation in that they are projected to be over the 2025 cap by nearly $74 million, which is by far the highest number in the league. It should come as no surprise, because the Saints are notorious for pushing money down the road and dealing with those problems later.
As for why it makes sense for the Texans? Kay wrote:
"The Texans have spent the offseason loading up on veterans to make a deep run following last year's surprise trip to the Divisional round. After unearthing a franchise quarterback in C.J. Stroud, Houston's brass is clearly trying to maximize the team's Super Bowl chances by bringing in pricy pieces the team can only afford while Stroud is locked into a cheap rookie scale contract.
Even after adding a slew of proven talent like Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, Denico Autry, Azeez Al-Shaair and Joe Mixon this offseason, Houston still has $23 million in 2024 cap space remaining and possesses nearly $46 million in projected 2025 cap room. That's more than enough to fit Lattimore's contract in while still leaving some wiggle room for further roster building."
Kay also talked about rookie Kamari Lassiter potentially sitting back and developing, although the Texans could slide him into the slot, as well.
Houston has both Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson as potential starters, but Texans fans might feel a bit more confident in the 4-time Pro Bowler taking over the starting spot for the foreseeable future. Both Okudah and Henderson are far from a sure thing at this point.