We are in a pretty good spot across Houston sports right now. The Texans, Rockets, and Astros are all, at the very least, in the conversation within their respective sports as teams to whom you need to pay attention, the Astros current stretch of offensive futility notwithstanding. The Rockets were just knocked out of the playoffs, but long term optimism abounds.

As for the Houston Texans, they just completed another draft that should yield a few early contributors, and they’ve had an offseason where the future foundation of the team, its core group, has continued to solidify and take shape. You can add Derek Stingley and Jalen Pitre to the list of Texans here for the long haul, with their respective contract extensions.

There’s a whole lot more to get excited about, though. In a sport where the foundational window kind of runs in two year increments, the Texans’ roster of players here for at least the next two seasons appears to be among the best in football. Let’s break this down, and get excited!

Special Cases
C.J. Stroud, QB
Will Anderson Jr, EDGE
Stroud and Anderson both technically have three years left on each of their rookie contracts, so they could be placed below in the “Under contract through 2027” group, but we all know which way this is going for both guys, come next offseason. After their third seasons in the league, Stroud and Anderson will be eligible for extensions that will dwarf what Stingley received (three years, $90 million) a couple months ago. Anderson and Stroud should both get top of market deals for their positions, deals that will likely lock them both in until at least 2030.

Under contract through 2029
Derek Stingley Jr., CB
Speaking of Stingley, he inked his three year extension back in March. That deal added three years to the end of his current contract, which runs through 2026, so Stingley will be a Texan for the next five seasons, and that’s a great thing. He has evolved into the most complete cornerback in all of football.

Under contract through 2028
Jalen Pitre, S/CB
Pitre inked his contract extension a month after Stingley agreed to his. Pitre’s deal is a more modest three year, $39 million agreement, added on to the one remaining season on his rookie deal. Pitre’s had an up and down journey so far in the NFL, but before suffering a season ending pectoral tear in 2024, he was playing the most impactful football of his career.

Under contract through 2027
Nico Collins, WR
Kamari Lassiter, CB
Calen Bullock, S
Blake Fisher, T
Cade Stover, TE
Nico Collins was the first big money extension for a Nick Caserio drafted football player, and that deal is going to age incredibly well, if Collins can figure out some of his physical issues. He missed five games with a hamstring injury in 2024. The remaining players in this category are members of last season’s rookie class, the four most prominent of whom are Lassiter, Bullock, Fisher, and Stover.

Under contract through 2026
Danielle Hunter, EDGE
Joe Mixon, RB
Azeez Al-Shaair, LB
C. J. Gardner-Johnson, S
Mario Edwards Jr., DT
Dalton Schultz, TE
Henry To’oTo’o, LB
Jarrett Patterson, C/G
This group is a combination of recent free agency signings and players from the 2023 draft class. The crown jewel of the group of players with two years of team control is Hunter, who led the team in sacks last season and signed a one year, $35.8 million extension this offseason. Mixon and Al-Shaair are both team captains, and Gardner-Johnson, Edwards, and Schultz will likely play a majority of the snaps at their respective positions. To’o To’o and Patterson have been productive Day 3 pickups from their 2023 draft class. A healthy Tank Dell probably shows up on this list, too, but he will likely miss the 2025 season recovering from his brutal knee injury suffered in Week 16 against the Chiefs last season.

Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.