The Houston Texans made it an offseason priority to surround CJ Stroud with as many weapons as possible after the offense took a step back last season. The departure of Stefon Diggs and injury to Tank Dell forced the Texans into using their first selection in the draft on a wide receiver.
Houston drafted Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins with the 34th-overall pick. They hope that the big body receiver can emerge as a WR2 next to Nico Collins as early as his rookie season. They demonstrated how much they believe in the 22-year-old by signing him to an unprecedented rookie deal.
WR Jayden Higgins Makes History With Texans Deal
NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported on Thursday that the Texans gave Higgins a fully guaranteed four-year, $11.7 million contract, making him the first second-round pick in NFL history to have a fully guaranteed deal.
In the NFL, first-round picks get fully guaranteed contracts, while the later picks negotiate partially guaranteed deals. According to Pelissero, last year's 34th-overall pick, Ladd McConkey of the Chargers, got a 91.9% guarantee in his rookie deal.
While this will almost certainly impact negotiations with other second-round picks, it also demonstrates how the Texans see their new playmaker. Higgins will almost certainly start from Week 1 and this deal could mean that he may be an even larger part of the offense immediately.
The Texans will have a three-headed monster with Collins, Christian Kirk, and Higgins. Fellow rookie receiver Jaylin Noel will be pushing for targets, while John Metchie, Xavier Hutchinson, and Justin Watson will try to make their case to be the WR5 on the roster, assuming Dell is out for the season. How the rookies will fare from the get-go as the Texans desperately hope to finally get over the hump in the AFC will be fascinating to watch.