The Houston Texans are positioning themselves as serious Super Bowl contenders by leveraging the financial flexibility provided by one of the NFL’s most team-friendly contracts: wide receiver Nico Collins’ three-year, $72.75 million extension signed in May 2024. As detailed in a TWSN article titled “The Houston Texans Hold The Best Contract in The NFL,” published on April 29, 2025, Collins’ deal—averaging $24.25 million annually—has become a cornerstone of the Texans’ roster construction strategy, allowing them to aggressively build around quarterback C.J. Stroud while he remains on his cost-controlled rookie contract.
Collins, who emerged as a top-tier receiver in 2024, is significantly underpaid relative to his production. His $24.25 million average annual value (AAV) ranks him 13th among wide receivers, between DeVonta Smith ($25 million AAV) and Michael Pittman ($23 million AAV), per OverTheCap. However, the wide receiver market has exploded in recent years, with top players like Justin Jefferson ($35 million AAV), CeeDee Lamb ($34 million AAV), and A.J. Brown ($32 million AAV) setting a new benchmark, per Spotrac. Locking Collins in before his breakout 2024 season—where he averaged 83.8 receiving yards per game and 2.94 yards per route run, per Pro Football Focus—proved prescient. Collins’ 2024 stats included 80 receptions for 1,257 yards and 8 touchdowns in 15 games, despite missing two due to a hamstring injury, per ESPN. His yards per route run ranked 4th among receivers with at least 50 targets, and he led the Texans in receiving yards despite sharing the field with Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
The Texans’ front office, led by GM Nick Caserio, capitalized on Collins’ pre-breakout status, securing him through 2027 with $52.1 million guaranteed, per Spotrac. At the time of the signing, Collins had shown promise—109 receptions for 1,297 yards in 2023—but hadn’t yet established himself as an elite talent. His 2024 performance, highlighted by explosive plays like a 73-yard touchdown against the Jaguars in Week 4, solidified his status as a top-10 receiver, making his contract a steal. As TWSN notes, “A shade over $24 million per year for Collins is petty theft from this front office,” especially when compared to recent deals like Brandon Aiyuk’s $30 million AAV with the 49ers, signed in August 2024, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
This financial flexibility is critical for the Texans, who are in a “win-now” window with Stroud, the 2023 No. 2 overall pick, on his rookie deal through 2026, with a 2027 fifth-year option, per OverTheCap. Stroud, who threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions as a rookie, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, per Pro Football Reference, regressed slightly in 2024 with 3,912 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions amid injuries to his supporting cast, per ESPN. The Texans finished 9-8, earning a wild-card berth but falling to the Baltimore Ravens 34-20 in the Divisional Round, hampered by an offensive line that ranked 29th in pass-block win rate (53.2%), per ESPN Analytics.
The 2025 season brings new challenges for Houston’s receiving corps. Stefon Diggs, acquired in a 2024 trade, signed with the New England Patriots in free agency on March 15, 2025, for a two-year, $36 million deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Tank Dell, who suffered a torn ACL in a December 2024 game against the Chiefs, is expected to miss the entire 2025 season, per Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander. To bolster the unit, the Texans traded for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk on March 20, 2025, sending a 2026 third-round pick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Kirk, who had 57 catches for 787 yards in 2024, provides a reliable veteran presence, per Pro Football Reference. In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Texans added Iowa State teammates Jayden Higgins (third round, No. 87 overall) and Jaylin Noel (sixth round, No. 188 overall), who combined for 149 receptions, 2,134 yards, and 14 touchdowns in 2024, per Cyclones.com.
Collins remains the centerpiece of the Texans’ passing attack. His contract allows the team to allocate resources elsewhere, such as the offensive line, which Caserio addressed by signing free-agent guard Cody Whitehair to a one-year, $4 million deal on March 18, 2025, per NFL.com’s transaction log, and drafting Michigan tackle Andrew Thomas in the second round (No. 45 overall), per TWSN’s draft recap. The Texans also re-signed defensive end Danielle Hunter to a three-year, $54 million deal, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, ensuring their pass rush—led by Hunter’s 12.5 sacks in 2024—remains elite, per Pro Football Reference.
The Bengals, Bills, and Eagles exemplify varied roster-building strategies, as noted in the web results from Over the Cap (April 4, 2018). Cincinnati prioritizes offensive firepower around Joe Burrow, Buffalo builds through its defensive line with additions like Von Miller, and Philadelphia balances both, as seen with Jalen Hurts and a defense anchored by Haason Reddick. The Texans, however, are following the Eagles’ model, pairing Stroud with Collins and new weapons while maintaining a strong defense (ranked 8th in 2024 with 324.1 yards allowed per game, per ESPN). Collins’ contract, dubbed “the best in the NFL” by TWSN, gives Houston the flexibility to pursue this dual approach, positioning them as AFC contenders in 2025 if Stroud can rebound and the revamped offensive line provides better protection.
