Wednesday is here, meaning the next stage of the Houston Texans' offseason is here: organized team activities (OTAs). Head coach DeMeco Ryans' team will be looking to hit the ground running after capturing their second straight AFC South title, and Texans fans will be eagerly waiting for updates to see how this spring's acquisitions are fitting in.
A plethora of new faces will be donning Texans gear for the first time this week, and those additions couldn't have been made without the offseason departures of several veterans. While some of those recently exited names are already gelling well with their new teams, one former Houston wideout likely wishes he had signed elsewhere in free agency.
Former Texans WR Robert Woods Off to Nightmare Start With Steelers
Robert Woods is one of several Texans veterans who left town in free agency, The veteran wide receiver signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers as he looked to rebound from the career-lows in terms of receptions (20), receiving yards (203), and touchdowns (0) he posted in 15 games with Houston last year.
Woods' decision to sign with the Steelers may have stemmed from the team's connection to free-agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The four-time NFL MVP has been linked to Pittsburgh's QB1 job ever since the offseason began, and no one would blame the former Texans WR for wanting to play with one of the game's all-time great gunslingers.
Much to Woods' dismay, and likely the Steelers' as well, Rodgers still hasn't made his way to the Steel City. The 41-year-old signal-caller is still debating if and where he wants to continue his NFL career, and it's clear he has no issue making the Steelers wait on a decision for as long as possible.
If Rodgers doesn't sign with the Steelers, it's safe to say their backup QB options are less than stellar. Mason Rudolph is back in town with a 9-8-1 career record as a starter, which includes going 1-4 with the Tennessee Titans last season. Former 2022 seventh-rounder Skylar Thompson is 1-2 with a 66.1 passer rating in 10 appearances (3 starts), while the jury is still out on rookie QB Will Howard, who was drafted 185th overall last month.
With his declining physical abilities already limiting his upside, it's tough to like Woods' outlook with the Steelers one month after putting pen to paper. The ex-Texans WR went from playing with one of the league's best young QBs in C.J. Stroud to not knowing who he'll be catching passes from this fall.
Unless Rodgers decides to join the Steelers, Woods is likely in for an uphill battle in 2025. The Texans won't be playing the Steelers next season, though, meaning Houston fans will have to monitor how their former wideout fares from afar.