ESPN: Houston Texans cut ties with fans favorite hometown hero.
ESPN announced Friday morning that cornerback Jalen Pitre has signed a three-year, $39 million contract deal with the Houston Texans.
The 25-year-old Jalen Pitre will start his fourth season in the league with the same team that selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Baylor. Pitre grew up in Texas, went to Waco for college, and has been in Houston for his whole career.
Pitre stated on a radio interview at a Texans community service event, “This is my city and I love my city. This is where all of my family is, and this is where I first started playing football. There are definitely a lot of memories here, and I definitely want to continue playing for the Houston Texans.”
The young cornerback still wants to replicate his 147 tackles and five interceptions from his debut season.
Texans Are Going Over Budget During the Offseason
The Texans made headlines early in March when they signed massive extensions to All-Pro defensive players.
On March 17, Derek Stingley Jr. signed a three-year contract worth $90 million, with $89 million guaranteed, making him the highest paid defensive back in the league. By surpassing Jaycee Horn’s Panthers contract extension, the 23-year-old became the most paid corner in the history of the game.
“Like halfway through the workout, he was like, ‘Dude, guess what?’” After the news, Stingley spoke with his management during a press conference. “I thought, ‘What?'” “Deal is done,” he said. And I simply thought, “What? That’s crazy.” I just said, “That’s crazy.”
The team also signed Danielle Hunter, an edge rusher who ended with the fifth-most sacks in the league the previous season, in addition to Stingley. Hunter consented to a contract extension two days later, which will keep the tackle in Houston through 2026 as he begins his eighth season in the NFL.
According to Grant Gordon of NFL.com, Hunter will get $32 million in 2025, which includes a $12.5 million increase, and $55.1 million over the following two seasons, of which $54.1 million is completely guaranteed. “With a 2026 salary of $35.6 million, Hunter will be the second-highest paid defensive end in the league, right behind Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.”
Demeco Ryans, the head coach, expects that the defensive investment will make a powerful statement.
Ryans stated, “We want to send a message,” according to chron.com. “You want to reward all of our young guys when you do it right, like Stingley and Nico, who came in and played really well for us and became the best players in the league at their positions.”
Stingley is confident in the defensive unit of the Texans.
Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. thinks the Texans defense will serve as the benchmark for the rest of the league after slashing three huge salaries.
Stingley remarked, “I think we’re going to be standard—we really are the standard.” However, it simply seems like it will add another degree of “We’re here.” This is how we play football and this is our defense. Think it will be excellent, then.
