While the Houston Texans decided to make sweeping changes on the offensive side of the ball this offseason, they prioritized keeping their defensive unit intact. GM Nick Caseriogave massive contract extensionsto star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and veteran defensive end Danielle Hunter earlier this offseason.
On Friday, the Texans re-signed another key defensive contributor to a lucrative, long-term extension and this one was the biggest bargain deal of them all.
Sources: The#Texansagreed to terms on a 3-year contract extension with standout S Jalen Pitre, as he gets a roughly $39M deal. Houston locks in another key member of its secondary.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet)April 11, 2025
First Derek Stingley Jr, now Pitre. Houston continues to pay its young core.pic.twitter.com/OFQQSJz7u2
Texans News: Houston Signs S Jalen Pitre to Three-Year Extension
Texans fans have been hoping for this news ever since Stingley was signed to his mammoth deal. Pitre has been an important part of the Houston secondary since being a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Yet, it wasn't until last season when the former Baylor standout truly broke out.
In 2024, Pitre had his finest season despite missing the last five games of the regular season and the playoffs after tearing a pectoral muscle. In 12 starts, Pitre was particularly impressive against the run, receiving a 79.5 grade on PFF. His overall 73.9 defensive grade on PFF ranked him 18th in the NFL among 98 eligible safeties.
Perhaps his late-season injury was what helped the Texans to sign him to a bargain deal. The $13 million per year deal for Pitre pales in comparison to some of the other safeties that landed deals in free agency.
Tre'von Moehrig, Jevon Holland, and Cam Bynum all received new deals of $15 million AAV or above. Talanoa Hufanga, who signed a similar three-year, $39 million deal with the Broncos this spring, has never had as high of a PFF grade as Pitre in his career and has missed half of his team's games over the last two seasons. All of these names had a worse season than Pitre in 2024 and likely don't provide the same upside.
This deal puts Pitre outside the top ten in the highest-paid safeties in the league. Considering his age and upside, that could easily put him in the upper echelon of defensive backs in the league, this is undoubtedly a big steal for the Texans.
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