This offseason, the Houston Texans made sure to hammer out a short, yet necessary extension for one of their most vital components on the defensive side of the ball, signing edge Danielle Hunter to a new one-year, $35.6 million contract extension back in March.
Hunter, who has been a key piece to the Texans' defensive success since arriving in Houston last summer, now finds his way to a big-time pay day, being valued as one of the best edge rushers in the league after a powerful first season sample size in Houston, coming out to be the second-highest paid edge rusher in the NFL for the coming year.
And when asking Hunter himself, he gave a lot of credit to the Texans' brass in getting a new deal done ahead of his second season in Houston during the team's mandatory minicamp.
"I was excited about it," Hunter said of his new extension. "I'm from here, I watched the team when I was little, and it meant a lot to be able to play another year in Houston. So, my family's excited about it, and I feel like my agents did a good job with that."
During his first and most recent season in the mix for the Texans, Hunter put together 12.0 total sacks, 46 tackles, and 17 TFLs en route to the fifth Pro Bowl selection of his nine-year NFL career.
In Hunter's newly established deal, the Texans have added on $35.6 million to the back end of that original contract following his Pro Bowl appearance during his first year in the fold on this defense. The Houston edge rusher will get a $12 million raise this season, raising his salary to $32 million, while he's set to earn the remainder of his contract extension in 2026.
Now, for Hunter and the Texans, this pairing is set to ensue for not one, but two more years into the future, providing DeMeco Ryans and this Houston defense a surefire veteran cornerstone to bring as a dominant force off the edge.
