The Houston Texans are at it again! Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com have reported that the Texans and DE Danielle Hunter have agreed to a one-year, $40.1 million extension:
Hunter, 31, will now be tied to the Houston Texans through the 2027 season. This extension frees up some immediate cap space for the Texans, who are now sitting with ~$18 million worth of cap space available.
For the last two years, the biggest story coming out of NRG Stadium has been the Texans’ defense. A stingy pass-defense, hard-nosed linebackers, and a ferocious pass rush highlighted by Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter have made Houston’s unit one of the most feared in the country. In 2025, Hunter had a career year, finishing the season with 2nd-Team All-Pro honors and tallied:
This makes for another savvy and warranted move by Houston’s front office and general manager Nick Caserio. Finding veteran pass-rushers like Hunter on the market is like finding a diamond in the rough, and he continues to make Caserio look right for moving on from DE Jonathan Greenard in favor of Hunter in 2024. He and Anderson make the entire defense tick with their exceptional habit of collapsing the opponent’s pocket within seconds, flustering opposing QBs and forcing them into a season’s worth of bad decisions. This deal keeps one of the NFL’s best duos together for at least another two seasons, and frees up cap space for Caserio & Co. to target more players in free agency. A well earned payday for Hunter, and maybe even a snapshot of what we can expect Will Anderson to make per-year on his upcoming, inevitable, monstrous contract extension.
What do you think of this extension, though? We’re the Texans right to give Hunter another deal, or should they have been preparing to let him go after 2026? Would Houston have been better off saving this cap space for another player, and potentially drafting Hunter’s replacement? Or, is there another veteran edge rusher you’d rather see in battle red? Let us know down in the comments below!