Texans To Extend RB Joe Mixon
Not long after his arrival via trade, Joe Mixon has a new deal in place. The veteran running back has agreed to a three-year, $27MM extension including $13MM guaranteed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
Mixon had one year remaining on his Bengals contract and was due $5.75MM with a cap hit of $6.1MM. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes this agreement is a three-year accord which will take the place of his previous deal. It has a cashflow of $10MM in 2024 along with a base value of $25.5MM, he adds. The remaining $1.5MM will comprise incentives.
Once again facing an uncertain Bengals future, Mixon was traded to the Texans after it appeared he was bound to be released. Houston needed a new lead back with Devin Singletary joining the Giants, while Cincinnati moved on from the 27-year-old by signing Zack Moss. Rather than facing 2024 as a contract year, Mixon will now have some security with his new team.
The running back position has seen plenty of multi-year deals handed out early in free agency, despite the plethora of options at the position leading to the expectation of a buyer’s market. Mixon has joined the list of veterans receiving a (relatively) long-term commitment despite his age and usage. The Pro Bowler has received at least 210 carries in a season five times over the course of his career.
Despite questions about his sustainability as an every-down back, Mixon will clearly lead the depth chart in Houston given the terms of this deal. The Texans went on an impressive run to the divisional round of the playoffs thanks in large part to the play of quarterback C.J. Stroud and their passing game, but they struggled on the ground. The team ranked 22nd in the league in rushing, making RB a priority (especially in the event Singletary departed).
Mixon will partner with Dameon Pierce in Houston’s backfield for at least 2024 with the potential for a long-term arrangement. Pierce is on his rookie contract for two more years and, depending on the guarantee structure of Mixon’s pact, he likely will remain in place at least that long. It will be interesting to see how he fares on a new team for the first time in his career with a multi-year pact in hand.
Bills, Texans Interested In Arik Armstead; Houston Submitted Offer To Sheldon Rankins
With the 49ers officially designating Arik Armstead as a post-June 1 release, interest in the nine-year veteran defensive lineman is forming.
The Titans became the first known Armstead suitor, but KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes the Texans join them. Like recent Texans pickup Azeez Al-Shaair, Armstead played under DeMeco Ryans in San Francisco. The 30-year-old defender does not have a clear connection to the Bills, but The Athletic’s Matt Barrows mentioned Buffalo as a team to monitor here. Wilson adds the Bills are indeed interested.
Ryans coached Armstead for two seasons as 49ers defensive coordinator but was in San Francisco during six of the D-lineman’s nine years in the Bay Area. The Texans have added Danielle Hunter, Denico Autry and Folorunso Fatukasi up front but have endured multiple subtractions on their defensive interior. Sheldon Rankins signed with the Bengals hours after the Texans traded Maliek Collins to the 49ers.
Houston looks to have driven up Cincinnati’s price on Rankins, with Wilson adding the AFC South club made a $12MM-per-year offer to the former first-round pick. Rankins joined the Bengals on a two-year, $26MM deal; he will be set to team with B.J. Hill up front in Cincinnati. Rankins posted his best pass-rushing season since 2018, totaling six sacks and ranking seventh in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric.
As for Collins, Wilson indicates the team made the decision to move on from the three-year contributor over the weekend. That still proved to be an interesting trade, seeing as Collins totaled five sacks after signing a through-2025 extension last year. The Texans attempted to trade Collins for Armstead, per Wilson. Considering the 49ers cut Armstead, it is unclear what led to the talks breaking down. The 49ers offered Armstead a pay cut, but he balked with an intent on testing free agency.
The Bills are keeping DaQuan Jones, but the veteran run stuffer and Armstead have differing skillsets. The former first-round pick has worked as a plus interior pass rusher, teaming with Nick Bosa as the 49ers’ D-line pillars under Ryans and Robert Saleh. Ed Oliver signed an extension last year, but the Bills have some work to do on their defensive interior. Jordan Phillips, Tim Settle, Poona Ford and Linval Joseph are free agents.
Armstead is coming off knee surgery, after a season in which knee and foot trouble kept him out of five late-season games. The 6-foot-7 defensive tackle returned in the playoffs at less than 100% and sacked Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVIII. Armstead has eight career postseason sacks, notching at least two during the 2019, 2021 and 2022 playoffs. Despite injuries shortening his 2022 and ’23 seasons, Armstead fared well last year. Pass rush win rate slotted the Oregon alum 10th, while Pro Football Focus ranked him 15th among interior D-linemen while assigning a career-best run-stoppage grade. Armstead totaled five sacks and 13 QB hits in 2023.
Additionally, the Texans are meeting with Settle, according to Wilson. Profiling as a cheaper option compared to Armstead, Settle spent the past two seasons in Buffalo on a two-year, $14MM deal. Once part of the first-rounder-laden Washington D-line, Settle has not disproved his five-sack 2018 season was a fluke. He has never registered more than two in any other slate. The Virginia Tech alum started only four games with the Bills, though he is still just 26.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/24
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Amen Ogbongbemiga, OL Matt Pryor
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Tony Brown, TE Giovanni Ricci
- Re-signed: P Corey Bojorquez
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT David Sharpe
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: LB Caleb Johnson
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: RB Salvon Ahmed
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: FB Adam Prentice
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: DL Kevin Givens
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Nick Harris
- Re-signed: CB Artie Burns
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: RB Julius Chestnut
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: S Jeremy Reaves
Texans To Trade DT Maliek Collins To 49ers
Maliek Collins signed three Texans contracts in three years; his most recent will be transferred to the 49ers’ payroll. Houston is sending the veteran defensive tackle to San Francisco, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports.
The 49ers will acquire the former Cowboys, Raiders and Texans interior D-lineman for a seventh-round pick, Schefter adds. Collins, 29 next month, spent the past three seasons in Houston. He is coming off a career-best pass-rushing season. With Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw heading out of town, the 49ers are revamping their DT group alongside Javon Hargrave.
San Francisco will send this year’s No. 232 overall pick to Houston, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. The Texans will end up dropping eight spots in the seventh round by trading Collins and acquiring Joe Mixon, who cost only the 224th overall choice.
This should prove to be a scheme fit, considering Collins started in DeMeco Ryans‘ defense last season. After shifting away from their Ryans-Robert Saleh scheme under Steve Wilks, the 49ers scrapped that plan and promoted Nick Sorensen to lead the defense. Collins will remain a 4-3 D-tackle in San Francisco.
Collins totaled five sacks in Ryans’ defense last season, tallying a career-high — by a wide margin — 18 QB hits in his third year with the Texans. ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric ranked Collins 12th among interior D-linemen in 2023.
The team has added Denico Autry and Foley Fatukasi in free agency; those veterans look set to move into Houston’s starting lineup. Collins may not be a lock to start in San Francisco, but his contract ($11.5MM per year) would suggest that is going to happen.
Signing Collins in 2021 to work in Lovie Smith‘s system, the Texans re-signed the ex-Cowboys draftee a year later. Despite changing schemes under Ryans, the team gave Collins a two-year, $23MM extension last summer. Two years remain on that deal, which could certainly provide good value for a 49ers team that did well to grab Charles Omenihu from the Texans in 2021. On a roster that featured low-cost deals just about everywhere but the offensive line, Collins’ deal stood out. It will blend in more on the 49ers’ payroll.
Hargrave is sticking around as the highest-profile Nick Bosa sidekick, but the defending NFC champions are retooling around the two veterans. Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos are coming in on midlevel deals to supplement Bosa on the edge, while ex-Browns starter Jordan Elliott will be part of the 49ers’ interior mix alongside Hargrave. Armstead started for nine seasons in San Francisco. The 49ers offered the 6-foot-7 regular a pay cut, but this trade and the Elliott pickup would suggest the team is not planning to have Armstead back at a reduced rate. The Titans are believed to be interested in Armstead, while Kinlaw joined the Jets.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/24
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OT Hakeem Adeniji
- Re-signed: OL Michael Dunn
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: LS Trent Sieg
Denver Broncos
- Re-signed: FB Michael Burton
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: OL Dan Skipper
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: CB Corey Ballentine, TE Tyler Davis
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
Kansas City Chiefs
- Re-signed: S Deon Bush
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LB William Kwenkeu
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: LB Christian Elliss, OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: LS Rick Lovato, P Braden Mann
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: P Cameron Johnston
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Pharaoh Brown
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Saahdiq Charles
Washington Commanders
- Signed: LS Tyler Ott
Danielle Hunter To Sign With Texans
The Texans’ talks with Danielle Hunter will produce an agreement, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport. After the Vikings poached Jonathan Greenard, the Texans will bring in the longtime Minnesota sack artist. Hunter will join the Texans on a two-year deal worth $49MM, Rapoport adds.
Although Hunter ran into significant injury trouble to start this decade, he bounced back in a big way over the past two years. That recent surge will allow for a uniquely structured Texans contract. Houston is guaranteeing nearly the whole contract, with Schefter adding the nine-year veteran will receive $48MM fully guaranteed.
The Colts also pursued Hunter, but they are not known for big spending on outside FAs under Chris Ballard. The Texans’ payroll also lines up well with this two-year Hunter guarantee. Hunter will receive $29.5MM in the first year of this deal, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News tweets.
This marks a homecoming for Hunter, who went to high school in the Houston area. Hunter spent the past six seasons tied to a contract that was widely viewed as Vikings-friendly in the moment. After two reworkings, the former third-round pick made his way to free agency. The second of those adjustments prevented the Vikings from franchise-tagging Hunter, which will lead him out of town. While the Vikes will lean on Greenard, the Texans will pair reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson with a more established sack ace.
While Greenard notched his first double-digit sack season last year, Hunter has five such seasons on his resume. Despite Hunter entering the NFL in 2015, he is still just 29. The youngest player in league history to reach 50 sacks, Hunter was a mainstay during Mike Zimmer‘s Minnesota years and played the lead role in the past two Vikings pass rushes.
This included a 16.5-sack performance last year, which also featured Hunter leading the NFL with 23 tackles for loss. That generated trade interest, and while the Texans were not pursuing Hunter at the time, they will come away with one of this year’s top free agents today.
Tied to a $14MM-per-year deal for an extended period — albeit with multiple adjustments, coming in 2021 and 2023 — Hunter will do well on this short-term agreement. The Texans will also take advantage of their setup. Last year, the team effectively had low- or mid-level deals across its roster save for along the offensive line. With Anderson and C.J. Stroud on rookie deals through at least 2025, Houston will capitalize. Hunter’s contract will overlap fully with the Anderson and Stroud rookie accords. He will join Azeez Al-Shaair and Denico Autry as new starters on DeMeco Ryans‘ defense.
Mutual Interest Between Texans, Danielle Hunter; Colts In Pursuit
3:41pm: The Colts are also in the Hunter market, according to ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder. Not known for big-ticket spending on outside FAs, Indy also saw progress from homegrown DEs Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo last season. Samson Ebukam remains under contract as well. But the team, which did once add Justin Houston in free agency, is looking into what it will cost to bring Hunter to Indianapolis.
2:11pm: The Texans may be eyeing what would amount to an edge rusher swap with the Vikings. After Jonathan Greenard committed to Minnesota early in the legal tampering period, Houston is eyeing the player Greenard is likely set to replace.
Mutual interest exists between the Texans and Danielle Hunter, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports. While no signing is imminent, the Texans have lost a key starter. Greenard led Houston with 12.5 sacks last season, providing a quality bookend for Will Anderson. Although Chase Young is available, Hunter has a more extensive track record of sack production.
This is Hunter’s first run in free agency. The youngest player in NFL history to reach 50 sacks, Hunter soon signed what became a team-friendly Vikings extension. That 2018 agreement became a source of tension for Hunter, and the Vikings reached multiple reworkings with their impact sack artist. While injuries interrupted Hunter during the early part of this decade, he has returned to form over the past two seasons. That included a 16.5-sack 2023.
Hunter, 29, led the NFL with 23 tackles for loss last season. He drew trade interest at the deadline, though with Greenard on the team at that point, the Texans were not on the radar. With Greenard heading to the Twin Cities and Bryce Huff (Eagles), Leonard Floyd (49ers), Za’Darius Smith (Browns) and Dorance Armstrong (Cowboys) committed elsewhere, Texans interest in Hunter adds up. With a rookie QB contract on the books, Houston has a chance to add a big name opposite Anderson. But options are dwindling.
The Texans have not waded into the deep waters of this year’s market, despite the opportunity Stroud and Anderson’s rookie contracts present. They have agreed to terms with Denico Autry and Azeez Al-Shaair on midlevel deals, however, bolstering DeMeco Ryans‘ defense. Hunter would act as a bigger needle-moving presence, having reeled off five double-digit sack seasons in his prolific nine-year Vikings run. An outside linebacker over the past two years, Hunter also spent six seasons as a 4-3 defensive end in Mike Zimmer‘s scheme.
Texans, Panthers Interested In LB Patrick Queen
MARCH 12: The Panthers are also a team to monitor on the Queen front, Joe Person of The Athletic reports. Carolina is set to lose Frankie Luvu once free agency opens, leaving a need for a new starter. Queen’s skillset would match well with the one being replaced, but the former first-rounder is no doubt a top option for additional teams. Carolina currently has roughly $25.5MM in cap space.
MARCH 11: Ever since he wasn’t tagged by the Ravens, linebacker Patrick Queen has been repeatedly linked to his former defensive coordinator, Mike Macdonald, who is the new head coach of the Seahawks. According to ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime, the Texans are officially throwing their hat into the ring for this year’s second-team All-Pro linebacker. 
The Texans are set to fill some holes at linebacker with two heavy contributors hitting free agency. Blake Cashman has already agreed to a deal with the Vikings, and Denzel Perryman may not be far behind him at the door to the exit. Houston is already set to bring in former Titans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to start alongside Christian Harris, but besides them, a number of inexperienced, young linebackers wait in the wings.
Queen would be an extremely nice pairing with Al-Shaair and Harris. Queen has been a full-time starter since his rookie season, never missing a game. As a first-round pick out of LSU, Queen struggled mightily to lead the storied Ravens defense, grading out as the second-worst linebacker in the league during his rookie season, according to Pro Football Focus. With the arrivals of Macdonald and Roquan Smith, Queen improved markedly, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for the first time in 2023.
If the Texans can land Queen, they could easily be set at linebacker for the 2024 season. Unfortunately, Bien-Aime notes that some in Queen’s circle are concerned that the Texans won’t come up the funds to sign the free agent defender. Spotrac.com lists a potential market value for Queen at $18.5MM per year, projecting a five-year, $92.64MM contract behind only his former teammate, Smith, and Fred Warner.
The Texans have plenty of cap space, with OverTheCap.com showing them with the sixth-most cap room to start the day. It’ll come down to whether or not Houston is willing to shell out top money for Queen to come in and once again attempt to lead a defense, this time under a great defensive mind in DeMeco Ryans.
Bengals To Trade RB Joe Mixon To Texans
Joe Mixon‘s time with the Bengals is indeed over, but he will not reach free agency. Rather than releasing the veteran back, Cincinnati is instead trading him to the Texans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Monday night’s Bengals release indication now doubles as a last-call warning for teams, and the Texans will take a chance via trade. Houston lost its primary 2023 starter — Devin Singletary — after the 5-foot-7 back rejoined Brian Daboll in New York. Mixon will have an opportunity to play in Bobby Slowik‘s offense, joining 2022 fourth-round pick Dameon Pierce.
It will cost the Texans only a seventh-round pick to obtain Mixon, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Considering the Bengals were prepared to cut him, this return is not especially surprising.
This puts the Texans in position to pay the seven-year Bengals starter his $3MM roster bonus, which is due Saturday. The Bengals were rumored to be cutting bait after one season of Mixon’s reworked deal. The sides reached a resolution to keep Mixon in Cincinnati last summer, with his four-year, $48MM 2020 extension morphing into a two-year, $11.5MM pact. Although Mixon scored 12 touchdowns and finished with his fourth 1,000-yard season, he has now surpassed 1,500 career carries. The Bengals added a younger option — Zack Moss — to work with Chase Brown.
It is interesting to see the Texans pass on a player who produced in their system (Singletary) for an older option with considerably more tread on his tires. While Mixon will not turn 28 until later this year, he has amassed 1,571 career carries. That surpasses any back who changed teams during Monday’s historic player-movement day at the position.
In better cap shape compared to the Bengals, the Texans will owe Mixon only a $2.2MM base salary next season. The third-leading rusher in Bengals history, Mixon has four seasons with at least 1,400 scrimmage yards. The Bengals needed Mixon last season after letting Samaje Perine walk in free agency. But Brown and Moss are now in place to split up the workload — at a reduced rate — for a team whose roster now includes Joe Burrow‘s record-setting extension. The Texans, with C.J. Stroud, on a rookie deal will add Mixon as a rental of sorts.
Ravens Remain Interested In Derrick Henry; RB Was On Texans’ Radar
The running back landscape changed dramatically on Monday, with nearly every high-profile free agent at the position lining up a deal with a new team. One obvious exception is Derrick Henry. Nothing is imminent in his case, but multiple suitors are still in play for the former rushing champion. 
The Texans and Ravens remain interested in Henry, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. The Titans stalwart has been in discussion with Baltimore as well as other teams during the opening period of the negotiating window, Dianna Russini of The Athletic adds. A number of teams have vacancies at the RB spot after yesterday’s agreements, and both the Texans and Ravens could stand to add a back of Henry’s caliber.
Baltimore has only two running backs under contract the moment: Keaton Mitchell, who flashed potential when on the field as a rookie in 2023 but suffered an ACL tear, and Justice Hill, who has traditionally operated as a third back. Gus Edwards is set to depart once free agency officially opens, having agreed to a two-year deal with the Chargers on Monday. J.K. Dobbins – whose career has been marred by a pair of major injuries – is a free agent.
Houston, meanwhile, is set to lose Devin Singletary. After taking over as lead back midway through the 2023 campaign, Singletary upped his value compared to the one-year deal he played on last season, landing an agreement with the Giants to serve as Saquon Barkley‘s replacement. The Texans have Dameon Pierce in place, and the team has worked out a trade for ex-Bengals starter Joe Mixon.
With Houston (presumably) no longer in the Henry market, attention will likely increasingly shift Baltimore’s way. The Ravens are projected to be marginally over the cap at the moment; all teams are required to be cap compliant by the start of the new league year tomorrow afternoon. Baltimore’s offseason to date has consisted mainly of losing contributors from last year’s team, but a Henry addition would certainly represent a notable addition on offense.