HOUSTON – Booming punts with serious hangtime, Tommy Townsend hung the football high and with aim.
Townsend, an All-Pro punter with the Kansas City Chiefs, averaged 47.6 yards per punt with a 41.6 net average and downed 30 punts inside opponents’ 20-yard line with five touchbacks.
Townsend had a 6.9 touchback percentage with a season-long punt of 73 yards for the Texans
Now, he wants to run it back with the AFC South playoff squad. Townsend is an unrestricted free agent. There’s mutual interest between the Texans and Townsend about a potential contract extension, but it will come down to a prospective negotiation between general manager Nick Caserio and agent Drew Rosenhaus.
“I would absolutely love to stay,” Townsend told KPRC 2. “I think it’s pretty obvious. I’ve made it pretty obvious that I like it here. I want to be here for a while, so we’ll see how everything works out. I’ve got a good relationship with Nick, so there’s going to be a lot of communication, and I’m excited to see how it all plays out.”
The last time Townsend and the Texans did business, it resulted in a two-year, $6 million contract in free agency that is expiring.
Caserio and Rosenhaus have conducted a lot of business over the years.
“A lot of business together, a good relationship,” Townsend said. “I’m excited to see it.”
Townsend was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week last season.
Townsend averaged 50.4 yards per punt with a 47.8 net average on five punts in a playoff-clinching victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
He had four punts downed inside the 20-yard line and had a long boot of 56 yards. That included a punt downed inside the 2-yard line.
And kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, with rookie long snapper Austin Brinkman snapping and Townsend holding, tied an NFL all-time single-season record for field goals made.
“It starts with a snap,” Townsend said. “Brinkman was an incredible addition. He had an amazing year, especially on punts. He served me balls on a silver platter all year. He did an incredible job, setting me up to try and perform.”
The Texans’ season ended in the AFC divisional round with a loss to the New England Patriots.
In the playoffs, Townsend averaged a career-high 52.4 yards with a 35.0 net average. He downed two punts inside opponents’ 20-yard line.
“Definitely tough going out this way in the divisional round,” Townsend said. “We definitely all had higher hopes for this season. There’s a lot of positives, some negatives, and yeah, definitely a lot of things that we’ve got to focus on this offseason to keep improving.
“A lot of things I’ve got to do better. My game plan was to hit the ball out of bounds, and I wasn’t able to hit the ball out of bounds. So, I don’t really think I did my job to the best of my ability, so there’s things that I’ve got to improve on.”
Since joining the Texans in 2024, he has 69 punts downed inside the 20-yard line for the most in the NFL during that span. Four times he has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
He became the first Houston punter to win the award since Shane Lechler in 2016.
“I get really fired up,” Townsend said. “That’s why I do it. I love going out and trying to make plays and put my guys in good position to make plays and that just fires me up.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KRPC 2 and click2houston.com
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