I said it’s not fun to think about, but let’s discuss it anyway; bad contracts. Since the Texans have given out a lot of money over the years, you will get some bad contracts. That takes us to the not-so-pleasant part of Texans' history. The overpays, the players getting big contracts despite never producing on the field, and everything in between.
If you have been a Texans fan for a while, you’ll remember those days like it was yesterday. For the younger group of fans, they may have grown up in it or were too young to remember. If you’ve been around since the existence of the franchise, you likely will remember everything, good and bad.
Ask any fanbase and they’ll give you at least two players they wish they didn’t pay big money to. The Texans are one of those teams as well. In my “3 biggest contracts the Texans have ever given out” article, I said they have a very good batting average when it comes to giving out big money. Now, not even the best of the best can hit on every single contract. Unfortunately, even the best general managers aren’t immune to giving out bad contracts. So we’re here to discuss it today.
However you choose to get through this era of Texans history, I hope it doesn't ruin your day too much. Like your favorite history channel, I'm here to talk about the bad part of history. So sit down, grab a drink if you need to, and let’s take a walk through the dark part of Houston Texans' history today.
Safety Ed Reed
The Texans signed the Hall Of Fame safety to a three-year/$15 M deal in 2013. At the time, Reed was 35 years old and finally showing signs of slowing down, making the contract an odd one from the beginning. However as the season went on, the contract began to look much worse than originally.
Reed would only play in seven games with the team, totaling 16 tackles and zero interceptions before being released in November. And not too long ago, Reed spoke on his Texans tenure on Morten Anderson’s podcast. He said "I thought we would at least compete," Reed said. "Man, we were terrible. I mean, terrible. There were terrible people in that organization."
Ed Reed was the Texans general manager at the time, Rick Smith’s prized acquisition in free agency. And Reed was right when he said they were only a few pieces away from competing. However, Rick Smith and head coach Gary Kubiak couldn’t run a functioning team.
Reed later signed with the New York Jets where he finished out the remainder of the season. Reed may be a Hall Of Famer, however, his Texans career was anything but Hall of Fame worthy. The Texans had bet on a 35-year-old Ed Reed to help get them to the playoffs. However, they let their poor front office management, along with Ed Reed not finishing a full season, get in the way of what could’ve been a good team.
Quarterback Brock Osweiler
After the 2015 season with the Denver Broncos, and Peyton Manning’s backup, the Texans signed Osweiler to a four-year/$72M deal in 2016, and it’s one of the largest in team history. The Texans signed Osweiler after starting seven out of eight games he played in the previous year and showed flashes of a possible starting quarterback. However, the Texans jumped the gun and signed him too early.
In his only season in Houston, Osweiler totaled 2,957 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. After just one season with the team, the Texans bit the bullet on his contract and traded him to the Cleveland Browns. Osweiler would later play for the Broncos again before ending his career with the Miami Dolphins in 2018.
This contract will go down in history as another Rick Smith failed contract, and leaves Texans fans wondering what could’ve been if they went in another direction. Much like the 2013 roster, Houston’s 2016 team was very solid and could have competed for a playoff spot if they spent their money elsewhere. The question remains. What could Brock Osweiler have turned out to be if he never signed with the Texans, and remained with the Denver Broncos for one more year?