SATURDAY, 8:27am: The Texans have officially announced the signing.
FRIDAY, 9:15am: Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle has additional details on Fuller’s new contract. The first-round pick will receive $9.86MM in guaranteed money, and the deal also contains the typical fifth-year option.
Fuller’s cap hit never exceeds $3MM except in 2019, when his contract will count for $3.23MM against the cap. However, only $1.53MM of that final year is guaranteed.
JUNE 25th, 3:15pm: The list of unsigned first-round picks shortened to three today after the Texans and top choice Will Fuller agreed to terms on the wide receiver’s rookie contract, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).
As the No. 21 overall selection, Fuller will earn approximately $10.16MM on a four-year deal, per OverTheCap. Fuller’s signing leaves just Joey Bosa, Darron Lee and Joshua Garnett as the unsigned performers taken in this year’s first round.
Along with the customary fifth-year option for first-rounders, Fuller’s contract is expected to contain a $5.59MM signing bonus and a 2016 cap figure of $1.49MM, Wilson reports.
Fuller will be given a prime opportunity to earn a starting job opposite Houston’s No. 1 wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, after the Notre Dame pass-catcher put together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons the past two years and totaled 29 touchdown receptions.
Houston has been searching for an upper-echelon 1-2 punch at wide receiver for most of its 15-year existence and now has two first-round picks under contract at the position. The Texans also selected Braxton Miller to learn the slot job in a concerted effort to upgrade their offense this offseason. Said effort also included signing Brock Osweiler, Lamar Miller and Jeff Allen.
The Texans’ now-deeper wideout corps also houses Cecil Shorts, last season’s No. 2 target who accepted a pay cut earlier this month, and 2015 third-rounder Jaelen Strong. So, the competition for the options beyond Hopkins in Osweiler’s passing hierarchy should be consistent come training camp.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I don’t understand why the Texans aren’t getting much talk. Great defense and working hard to improve the offense.
Oh I think that their defense makes them an automatic contender in their division every season. The only thing that remains to be seen is if Osweiler can take them further than the first round and also what they will have at RB now that Foster is presumably gone.