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DJ Bien-Aime
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HOUSTON — The first of many offseason paydays for the Texans defense came Thursday with a one-year, $40 million contract extension for defensive end Danielle Hunter, a source confirmed to ESPN.
This is Hunter’s second extension with Houston after signing a two-year, $49 million deal as a free agent in March 2024 following an eight-year stint with the Minnesota Vikings.
After he finished with 12 sacks and Pro Bowl honors in 2024, the Texans rewarded him with a one-year, $35.6 million extension to the back end of that original deal. They also gave him a $12 million raise in 2025, bumping his salary to $32 million.
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Hunter’s second year with Houston surpassed his debut season as he finished with 15 sacks (third in the NFL) and 15 tackles for loss (eighth). His production earned him second-team All-Pro honors as the Texans’ defense ranked No. 2 in scoring (17.4 PPG) and total defense (279.1 YPG).
This is the first of many deals likely to be done on the Texans’ defense. Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was a Pro Bowler and is in the last year of a three-year deal worth $34 million that he signed in 2024. League sources said they expect Al-Shaair to get an extension.
The same expectation is in the cards for Will Anderson Jr., the No. 3 pick in 2023. The defensive end out of Alabama had a career year in 2025, finishing with 20 tackles for loss (fourth) and 12 sacks (tied for eighth). Anderson notched his first career first-team All-Pro selection and his second Pro Bowl.
The Texans are trying to get their defensive stalwarts locked up long term after giving cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. a three-year, $90 million extension and nickelback Jalen Pitre a three-year, $39 million contract in 2025.
NFL Network first reported on Hunter’s deal with the Texans.
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