The Houston Texans made some changes around the edges of kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn's contract.
According to multiple reports, the Texans have restructured Fairbairn's contract in order to save $2.7 million on the books for next season.
Per KPRC2 insider Aaron Wilson, in Houston's restructuring, they converted his original $4.73 million base salary for 2025 into a $3.475M signing bonus, lowered his base salary to $1.25M, and added void years 2027-2029 for proration purposes.
As a result, Fairbairn's new cap figure comes in a $3.953M compared to his previous mark of $6. effectively saving a couple million dollars on the Texans' finances.
Fairbairn is an eight-year veteran as Houston's kicker, appearing in 123 total games where he's connected on 211 of his 243 field goal kicks (86.8%), while he's gone 240 for 259 on his extra point tries (92.7%).
This past season, Fairbain had a bit of a drop-off from his showing in 2024, dropping from a previous 96.4% field goal percentage to 85.7% as a part of his six misses from 42 total attempts, half of those coming from 50-plus.
Now with his restructured deal in place, Fairbairn is officially stamped in the fold for at least this season for his ninth in Houston, and will look for a step forward from the ups and downs he traversed across the 2025 campaign.
Texans Again Connected to Former All-Pro to Help C.J. Stroud
The Houston Texans haven't really been able to land many established veterans to help C.J. Stroud this offseason, as they entered free agency with significant financial constraints.
The Texans did make some significant headway in the NFL Draft, nabbing wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel as well as offensive tackle Aireontae Ersey, but there is no doubt that Houston is still in need of some more talent on that side of the ball.
One name that has been linked to the Texans as a potential addition multiple times throughout the offseason is offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, and his name resurfaced this week.
Chris Schad of House of Houston has floated Scherff as a possible pickup for the Texans, and given Houston's issues in the trenches, it definitely makes sense.
"Brandon Scherff is still on the free agent market and he would be a perfect fit for Houston’s offensive line woes," Schad wrote. "Scherff had another strong season with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024, allowing 17 pressures and no sacks on 625 pass-blocking snaps according to Pro Football Focus. At age 33, he’s still effective and could provide an upgrade on the Texans’ current offensive line situation."
Scherff was originally selected by the Washington Commanders with the fifth overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft and spent the first seven years of his career with the franchise, making five Pro Bowl appearances while also earning a First-Team All-Pro selection.
The University of Iowa product then signed with the Jaguars in 2022 and was a bit of a disappointment in Jacksonville, but he remains a solid option.
With Houston having some major questions at guard, it may want to seriously considering signing Scherff to a one-year deal.
