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Robert Woods Wants To Re-Sign With Texans

February 22nd, 2025 at 6:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Robert Woods has spent the past two seasons in Houston, seeing his usage rate drop compared to earlier in his career along the way. The pending free agent receiver is not looking for a change of scenery this spring, however.

“Feeling good, kind of getting ready to revamp and go another year again,” Woods said when providing an update on his health and speaking about his future (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson). “I had a great time here in Houston, loved being with C.J. [Stroud], a great quarterback, loved our receiver room, our coaches. We’ll see how it goes in free agency.

“You know how free agency is. Whatever is best for me and my family and my football career. If that’s in Houston, however it goes, we’ll look to that.”

Woods’ best campaigns came during his five year run with the Rams (2017-21). That span included the two times the former second-rounder surpassed 1,000 yards, but it ended with a campaign in which he was limited to only nine games. Woods was traded to the Titans during the 2022 offseason, although after one year in Tennessee he was released; that allowed him to join the Texans on a two-year, $15.25MM deal.

Operating as an experienced depth contributor in Houston, the USC product totaled 629 yards and just one touchdown while playing out that pact. Woods logged a 70% snap share in 2023, but this past season he saw his playing time plummet to 37%. Considering Stefon Diggs and, later, Tank Dell suffered ACL tears in 2024, that usage rate is an indication the Texans will not match Woods’ desire to work out a new deal this offseason.

General manager Nick Caserio recently said he is open to re-signing Diggs, while Dell and Nico Collins are on the books for next season and beyond. The team also has the likes of John Metchie, Xavier Hutchinson and Jared Wayne attached to their rookie contracts, so Woods may very well have to look elsewhere if he reaches free agency. Approaching his age-33 season, Woods will not have a strong market in that event, but his remarks make it clear he intends to keep playing in 2025.

Texans Open To Re-Signing Stefon Diggs

February 20th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Adam La Rose

Stefon Diggs‘ Bills tenure came to an end last offseason with the trade which sent him to the Texans. Houston immediately agreed to restructure the All-Pro wideout’s contract, putting him on track for 2025 free agency.

As a result, Diggs’ debut Texans campaign doubled as a ‘prove it’ season as he looked to rebuild his value. Those plans came to an abrupt end midway through the year due to his ACL tear, though. The injury has no doubt hindered Diggs’ market, and questions linger about whether or not another Texans pact will be in order.

Houston already has Nico Collins attached to a $24.25MM-per-year deal along with fellow starter Tank Dell on his rookie pact for another two seasons. The latter’s ACL tear has his 2025 availability in doubt, however, so the Texans could stand to bring back Diggs on at least a short-term deal. When speaking about the subject, general manager Nick Caserio made it clear nothing has been ruled out at this point.

“I had a good relationship with Stef and his representation,” Caserio said during an interview on Sports Radio 610. “We enjoyed having Stef in the building, so the door is always open… We’re going to be open-minded and work through the process here. Things will probably pick up over the next few weeks.”

Diggs topped 1,000 yards each season between 2018 and ’23, and during his brief time in the Texans’ lineup he posted 496 yards and three touchdowns. The 31-year-old could be counted on to serve as an experienced Collins complement in 2025 on a new pact, but given the nature of the receiver free agent market (one which is now unlikely to include Tee Higgins) Diggs could draw interest from at least a few outside teams. After securing a Bills extension with an annual average value of $24MM, the four-time Pro Bowler will be hard-pressed to approach that figure on his next pact even with an unexpected rise in the salary cap coming.

Robert Woods is also a pending free agent, and his departure coupled with Diggs finding a new team would leave the Texans in need of replacements at the receiver spot. The likes of Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie could find themselves handling increased roles in 2025, but that will depend in large part on how things play out with Diggs in the build-up to free agency.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/17/25

February 17th, 2025 at 7:30pm CST by Ben Levine

One reserve/futures deal to pass along:

Houston Texans

Interestingly, the Texans gave Tucker Addington some extra cash to join their offseason roster. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that the long snapper got $10K in bonus money for putting pen to paper. The Sam Houston State has bounced around the NFL a bit during his career, getting into 10 games in stints with the Patriots, Commanders, and Dolphins.

AFC South Notes: Jaguars, Texans, Colts

February 16th, 2025 at 9:20am CST by Ely Allen

As the Jaguars continue to search for a new general manager to pair with first-year head coach Liam Coen, Coen continues to build his first coaching staff around himself in Jacksonville. Most recently, two offensive names have been brought up for minor roles on the offensive staff. While Coen, in his extensive experience coaching quarterbacks, will likely take on a lot of responsibility with molding Trevor Lawrence, as head coach, Coen has other responsibilities, as well, so, he’ll need assistance.

Firstly, the team is hiring Fred Walker as an offensive assistant, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Walker spent the last three years on staff in Las Vegas — two of those years as an offensive assistant before working 2024 as assistant quarterbacks coach. That may not inspire much confidence, considering the state of the position for the Raiders last year, but he did work with Derek Carr in the passer’s last Pro Bowl season in 2022.

Another name the team is looking at to work with Lawrence is James Madison offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dean Kennedy. Kennedy is a young, fast-rising name in the coaching world. He has experience as a graduate assistant with two SEC schools (Mississippi State and Florida) as well as two years as the Gators assistant quarterbacks coach back in 2020-21, when Kyle Trask and Anthony Richardson were in the room.

Following that, Kennedy accepted a role as quarterbacks coach at Holy Cross that turned into his first offensive coordinator role a year later. Last season was his only year with the Dukes, but he led an offense that was 26th in the nation in scoring and beat the North Carolina Tar Heels, 70-50. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Jaguars are interviewing him for an as of yet unreported role.

Here are a couple other coaching updates coming out of the AFC South:

  • The Texans are expected to add a new defensive staffer in Toledo defensive line coach Frank Okam, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Okam will serve as the team’s new assistant defensive line coach behind current defensive line coach Rod Wright, whom he played with in college at the University of Texas. Okam also played with head coach DeMeco Ryans when the two were players for the Texans from 2008-10. After defensive line coaching jobs at Rice and Baylor following his playing career, Okam held defensive line coaching jobs for the Panthers and Raiders before returning to the college ranks for the past two years.
  • Finally, the Colts are reportedly targeting veteran defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson for a role on their staff, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Indianapolis just recently hired Chris Hewitt away from Baltimore as their new pass game coordinator & secondary coach, so it will be interesting to see what role they’d like to carve out for Henderson. Henderson has served as defensive backs coach for the Jets (2008), Browns (2009-11), Cowboys (2012-15), and Giants (2020-24) with additional years as a defensive passing game coordinator for the Falcons (2016-19) and the Giants last year.

2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team

February 15th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Free agency is roughly one month away, and teams are preparing for the first major roster-building checkpoint on the offseason calendar. In several cases, of course, the lead-in to the start of the new league year will require cost-cutting measures.

Teams expect the 2025 cap ceiling to check in somewhere between $265MM and $275MM, providing a general target to aim for before the final figure is unveiled by the NFL. Using a projected cap of $272.5MM, here is a look at where all 32 teams currently stand (courtesy of Over the Cap):

  1. New England Patriots: $119.8MM
  2. Las Vegas Raiders: $92.53MM
  3. Washington Commanders: $75.21MM
  4. Arizona Cardinals: $71.33MM
  5. Los Angeles Chargers: $63.41MM
  6. Chicago Bears: $62.97MM
  7. Minnesota Vikings: $58.01MM
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers: $53.26MM
  9. Cincinnati Bengals: $46.26MM
  10. Detroit Lions: $45.69MM
  11. San Francisco 49ers: $44.26MM
  12. Tennessee Titans: $44.08MM
  13. New York Giants: $43.38MM
  14. Green Bay Packers: $42.14MM
  15. Los Angeles Rams: $38.33MM
  16. Denver Broncos: $34.78MM
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars: $32.27MM
  18. Indianapolis Colts: $28.25MM
  19. Carolina Panthers: $20.33MM
  20. Philadelphia Eagles: $18.08MM
  21. New York Jets: $16.86MM
  22. Baltimore Ravens: $5.96MM
  23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $2.24MM
  24. Houston Texans: $99K over the cap
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: $916K over
  26. Dallas Cowboys: $2.85MM over
  27. Miami Dolphins: $5.44MM over
  28. Atlanta Falcons: $11.15MM over
  29. Seattle Seahawks: $13.46MM over
  30. Buffalo Bills: $14.18MM over
  31. Cleveland Browns: $30.17MM over
  32. New Orleans Saints: $54.11MM over

These figures will of course change based on where the final cap ceiling winds up for the year, but they take into account each team’s carryover amount for 2025. Even with those savings in play, more than one quarter of the league finds itself in need of cost-shedding moves to simply achieve cap compliance by mid-March.

With the Patriots leading the way in terms of spending power, they will be a team to watch closely once free agency begins. The team’s willingness (or lack thereof) to make major free agent additions last year was a talking point, and it will be interesting to see if the regime featuring de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel takes a different approach in 2025. A serious push for Tee Higgins – by far the most sought-after wideout set to hit the market – can be expected.

Aside from Higgins, the Bengals have a number of financial priorities. Working out a monster extension for fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a new deal (and accompanying raise) for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson are key goals for the franchise. Quarterback Joe Burrow is prepared to restructure his own pact to create cap space for this offseason, but the team will no doubt need to break with tradition in terms of contract structure and guarantees to keep its core intact.

The Colts’ offseason has been defined in large part by a focus on retaining in-house players during recent years. That approach has not paid off as hoped, and general manager Chris Ballard said last month he plans to oversee a shift in roster-building philosophy this year. With the finances to make at least a modest addition or two on the open market, Indianapolis could be a suitor for some of the middle-class free agent options.

Over the coming weeks, many teams will proceed with extensions and restructures to free up cap space; the Seahawks recently took the latter route with defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Teams like the Steelers (in the case of edge rusher Preston Smith) and Dolphins (with running back Raheem Mostert as well as corner Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe) have already begin cutting veterans to free up cap space. That will increasingly continue in the near future with respect to the teams currently slated to be over the cap in particular.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

February 10th, 2025 at 8:58am CST by Adam La Rose

With Super Bowl LIX in the books, the 2024 campaign has come to a close. The final first-round order for April’s draft is now set as a result.

All 32 teams currently own a Day 1 selection, leaving the door open to each one adding a prospect in the first round for the first time since expansion in 2002. Any number of trades will no doubt take place between now and the draft, though, and it will be interesting to see how teams maneuver in the lead-in to the event. Of course, Tennessee in particular will be worth watching closely with a move to sell off the No. 1 pick being seen as a distinct possibility.

A weak quarterback class will leave teams like the Titans, Browns, Giants and Raiders with plenty of key offseason decisions. The free agent and trade markets do not offer many short-term alternatives which are seen as surefire additions, and teams which do not make moves in March will rely on the incoming group of rookies as part of their efforts to find a long-term solution under center. The two prospects seen as the clear-cut top options in 2025, however, are two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2024 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.

Here is a final look at the first-round order:

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
  3. New York Giants (3-14)
  4. New England Patriots (4-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
  7. New York Jets (5-12)
  8. Carolina Panthers (5-12)
  9. New Orleans Saints (5-12)
  10. Chicago Bears (5-12)
  11. San Francisco 49ers (6-11)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
  13. Miami Dolphins (8-9)
  14. Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
  17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
  20. Denver Broncos (10-7)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
  23. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
  24. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
  25. Houston Texans (10-7)
  26. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
  28. Detroit Lions (15-2)
  29. Washington Commanders (12-5)
  30. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
  31. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
  32. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)

Texans Announce New President, Other Staff Updates

February 5th, 2025 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

About two weeks ago, the Texans announced that they were parting ways with team president Greg Grissom after 23 years with the franchise. It didn’t take long for Houston to identify his replacement, announcing early the following week that Mike Tomon would be stepping into the role.

Tomon was a 2015 winner of the Sports Business Journal’s “40 under 40” award and was recognized as a Top 500 Business Leader by Dallas Magazine in 2024. Before all that, Tomon held senior roles with three NBA franchises (the Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Bobcats, and Phoenix Suns) with a focus on premium ticketing, partnerships, and strategy, before serving as senior vice president of global partnerships at AEG. All of this led to his addition to Legends in 2014.

At Legends, where Tomon most recently served as co-president & chief operating officer, he was responsible for global operations, including domestic and international revenue generation. His time at Legends saw the company establish partnerships with soccer brands Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and FIFA, as well as the Rugby World Cup. He’s also been involved in commercial engagements for NFL venues like SoFi Stadium, Allegiant Stadium, Highmark Stadium, and The Star in Frisco. He also lent a hand with the 2024 Olympics in Paris and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Tomon’s myriad business experience will serve him well in his new role atop the team’s business operations. As team president, Tomon will be tasked with overseeing the direction and management of said operations, specifically with marketing, communications, broadcasting, ticket sales and services, event services, corporate sponsorship, community relations, accounting, legal, human resources, and general administration.

In addition to the announcement of their new team president, Ian Rapoport reported yesterday that assistant offensive line coach Cole Popovich has been promoted to offensive line coach and run game coordinator. This was a predictable outcome following the team’s firing of former offensive line coach Chris Strausser. Popovich had drawn offensive line coach interest a year ago from other teams, but the Texans were able to hold on to him as assistant offensive line coach with a “revamped contract.”

Lastly, we saw news yesterday from Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 that Rams senior offensive assistant Jerry Schuplinski is expected to be hired by Houston. Schuplinski is most notably known as a former assistant quarterbacks coach with the Patriots over Tom Brady. Since leaving New England, Schuplinski has bounced around with time as the Dolphins assistant quarterbacks coach, the Giants quarterbacks coach, and the Raiders tight ends coach before landing in Los Angeles last year. His experience could be valuable to a talented, young offensive group in Houston.

Texans To Hire Nick Caley As OC

February 3rd, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Texans are hiring Nick Caley to be their next offensive coordinator, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.

Caley was a longtime assistant in New England under Bill Belichick before being hired by Sean McVay as the Rams’ tight ends coach in 2023. Caley added pass-game coordinator to his title in 2024 and emerged as one of the league’s most coveted offensive coordinator candidates in recent weeks. He interviewed with the Buccaneers and was reportedly the Jets’ top choice, but turned them down in favor of the Texans.

In Houston, Caley will succeed Bobby Slowik, who was fired after the Texans offense took a significant step back last season. Of particular concern was Slowik’s pass protection scheme, which allowed 54 sacks in 2024 (fifth-most in the NFL). The Rams, meanwhile, allowed just 31 sacks (sixth-fewest), though both teams dealt with a rash of injuries along their offensive lines.

Caley is yet another McVay disciple to take on a top coaching job this offseason. His connections to the Texans run even deeper, dating back to his days with the Patriots and his time at John Carroll University, per Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic. Namely, general manager Nick Caserio is a John Carroll alumnus who later spent time with Caley in New England.

C.J. Stroud‘s status as a franchise quarterback made the Texans one of the most sought-after OC jobs this hiring cycle, along with the young talent of Nico Collins and Tank Dell at wide receiver. Caley’s main task will be improving an offensive line that struggled in 2024 outside of Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. The Texans will also be hoping that Caley’s history as a tight ends coach will help get the most out of Dalton Schultz, who disappointed in his debut season in Houston.

Caley backed out of the Jets’ OC search, doing so after reports pegged the ex-Belichick and McVay staffer as the frontrunner. Tanner Engstrand ended up following Aaron Glenn from Detroit. Caley also is believed to have received an offer to take over as Patriots OC last year, and he met with the Buccaneers last month. A journey as a rising candidate will stop in Houston, as Caley will be tasked with orchestrating a Stroud bounce-back effort.

The Texans conducted a thorough OC search before landing on Caley, considering several internal promotions as well as top candidates from other NFL teams and the college ranks. Via PFR’s OC/DC Search Tracker, here is a full list of their candidates:

Texans To Prioritize Extension For Derek Stingley, Jr; Latest On Jalen Pitre

February 2nd, 2025 at 9:52am CST by Rory Parks

Texans cornerback Derek Stingley, Jr. is now extension-eligible, and while he can be kept under club control through 2026 via the fifth-year option on his rookie deal – and controlled via the franchise tag beyond that – he is eyeing a new contract this offseason. The interest in such a deal is mutual, with ESPN’s Dan Graziano reporting that a Stingley extension is one of Houston’s top offseason priorities (subscription required).

Of course, an extension will not come cheap. Graziano hears an agreement between player and team could reset the CB market, which is currently topped by Jalen Ramsey’s $24.1MM average annual value and Patrick Surtain II‘s $77.5MM in total guarantees. Indeed, Graziano predicts the two sides will come to terms on a four-year, $104MM extension ($26MM AAV) with $80MM guaranteed.

If no deal is struck between now and the May 1 deadline for exercising fifth-year options on 2022 first-rounders, it is a given that the Texans will pick up Stingley’s option (worth $17.2MM). Combined with his $5.43MM in 2025 pay ($1.1MM base salary, $4.33MM roster bonus), Houston could retain the 23-year-old’s services for just over $11MM per year across the next two seasons.

A record-setting contract, therefore, would be quite notable, especially in light of Stingley’s injury history. Hamstring ailments in both of his first two pro seasons limited him to 20 out of a possible 34 regular season games over that span, though he was terrific when he was on the field. He put it all together over 17 starts in 2024, with five interceptions and 18 passes defensed as part of a Houston passing defense that allowed the sixth-fewest yards in the NFL.

In 37 regular season games, Stingley has 11 interceptions and 36 passes defensed. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, he allowed 7.6 fewer receptions than expected in 2024, the second-best figure in the league among players with more than 400 coverage snaps (h/t Graziano). Pro Football Focus graded him as the fifth-best CB among 118 qualified players last season, and he yielded a miniscule 51.2 QB rating on passes thrown in his direction en route to a First Team All-Pro selection. 

By any measure, then, Stingley is one of the game’s best players at a premium position, and it stands to reason the Texans would want to lock him up for the long haul. As of the time of this writing, it sounds as if the club is willing to go to great lengths to achieve that goal.

Stingley’s secondary mate and fellow 2022 draftee, Jalen Pitre, is also extension-eligible for the first time. Because he was not a first-round selection, Pitre does not have a fifth-year option attached to his rookie deal and is therefore entering a platform campaign. His contract situation may not be as high on Houston’s offseason agenda as Stingley’s, but it would not be surprising to see Texans brass address it in some way.

Prior to a season-ending pectoral tear suffered in Week 12, Pitre was excelling as the club’s primary nickel, recording 65 tackles (six TFL), one forced fumble, one interception, and eight passes defensed while earning strong grades from PFF for both his coverage work and his run defense. His absence was noticeable down the stretch, which could help his bargaining position.

As Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 conveys, Pitre’s pectoral surgery was successful, and he is on track to participate in Houston’s offseason program. 

“I continue to learn and I continue to get better as a player,” Pitre said. “I’m just going to continue to strive to do that. I play for the Houston Texans and I play with so many great players. I’m so thankful to be here. I’m looking forward to the future.”

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