The Texans awarded their young, stellar receiver Nico Collins with a huge pay raise in the form of a three-year extension.
It’s always great for NFL teams to be able to draft, develop and keep their own talent. In doing so, it can make for difficult roster decisions with the financial implications that are attached to every move.
Houston has built a competitive roster in hopes of challenging for a championship. Premium talent comes at a premium price. While the salary cap is constantly rising, so are the salaries for the top talent in the league.
It’s impossible to have blue-chip players at every position on the roster. There has to be a well-thought out blend of top-end talent, above-average starters with a mix of young, ascending talent and stop-gap, low-cost veterans.
The Texans have shown brilliant roster construction this offseason and in recent seasons. The franchise has now seen a change in expectation. Instead of churning bottom of the roster talent, they’ll need to move on from starters and contributors that aren’t still playing to the level of their contract or financially they can be replaced with similar talent at massive savings.
The Texans have built their current roster for the next two seasons and beyond with 53 players under contract for 2025, made up of an entire roster of core players with few needs remaining for next season.
However, the flurry of moves this offseason to set up the team for the next few years has come at a cost. The latest payout in the form of the Collins’ extension will leave Houston to make some tough roster decisions next year and possibly as soon as in the coming months.
Texans Cap Cuts
The three-year extension for Collins has left the Texans 10th in effective cap space for 2024 per OverTheCap at just over $18 million. Houston is now in the red for 2025 at negative $5,146,876.
They'd have until the start of the 2025 league year to get under the cap. There’s ways to alleviate the financial concerns. The Texans can restructure deals, trade players and make cuts.
There are five players on the Texans roster that could see their time in Houston cut short in an effort to create more cap space. Two of these players could be moved on from this year while the other three would be options for post-June 1st designated cuts after the start of the 2025 league year.
Robert Woods
Woods is in the last year of his contract. He’s buried on a depth chart that includes Stefon Diggs, Collins, Tank Dell, John Metchie III, Noah Brown, Ben Skowronek, Steven Sims and Xavier Hutchinson. Woods is a luxury depth piece with an overpriced contract for his role.
The Texans could cut the 32-year old Woods at any point and save almost $5 million in cap space while leaving behind $4.75 million in dead money per OTC. Houston could be biding their time, waiting for camp to start to make sure they make it out healthy.
In doing this it would also allow time for a team to possibly call and offer a low-value trade for Woods, if they were to suffer an injury or two at the position on their own team. The trade compensation would be minimal but the extra savings would be key. If Houston was able to trade Woods as opposed to cutting him then their dead money would drop to $3.25 million while their savings would rise to $6.5 million.
Regardless, Woods shouldn’t be on the opening day roster with Houston. The cap savings and how they could help the roster this season with extra funds for in-season moves and/or rollover to help with next year is too important overall.
Jimmie Ward
Ward is head coach DeMeco Ryans’ guy. The chances of Ryans moving on from Ward at this point are slim to none. It’s also good to have Ward’s veteran leadership at the safety position with two younger guys in Jalen Pitre and Calen Bullock.
If Pitre and Bullock showed well in camp, it would still be extremely unlikely that Ryans would move on. However, the reason to consider it is the $3.8 million in cap savings this year and the fact that Ward misses about five games on average a season dating back to 2016.
He missed seven regular season games and both playoff games in his first season with the Texans. If a trade could be had, Houston would then save $5.8 million with only $2 million in dead money. A trade or cut is unlikely. He should be in a Texans uniform on opening day and he’ll be 33 at that time.
Denico Autry
Autry was one of the big-signings of the 2024 free agency period for the Texans. The talent is evident and he hasn’t shown signs of slowing down but he’ll be 35 years old before the 2025 season begins.
The Texans have an out with Autry’s contract after this season. If he doesn’t play to expectations or Houston feels they can replace him with one of the younger, cheaper guys on the roster or in next year’s draft, Autry could see his time end after one season.
Houston could cut Autry with a post-June 1st designation next year and save $9 million in cap space while only leaving $1.5 in dead money for 2025. Autry averaged 9.5 sacks the last three seasons with the Titans. He’ll need to continue to play to that level to remain with the Texans past the first year.
Shaq Mason
Injuries destroyed the Texans offensive line in 2023. Mason was the only one not bit by the injury bug last season. He started all 17 regular season and both playoff games, playing 1,220 plays.
The year prior, Mason started all 17 regular season and the playoff game for the Bucs, playing 1,281 plays. He’s an iron man as he’s only missed 10 games in nine seasons. Following his rookie season of 2015, he’s only missed eight starts in the last eight seasons.
The Texans hope to get at least one more solid, healthy season out of him. On the interior of the offensive line, Houston has invested in three young linemen through the draft in Kenyon Green, Juice Scruggs and Jarrett Patterson. After injuries hit last season they traded a 2025 sixth-round pick for interior offensive lineman Kendrick Green.
Mason was acquired by the Texans via trade as well. Houston shipped a 2023 sixth-round pick No. 179 to the Bucs for Mason and 2023 seventh-round pick No. 230. Oddly, pick No. 230 changed hands five times. It started with the Jets, went to the Bucs, then the Texans, Eagles, back to the Texans and then the Bills, finally.
Houston traded pick No. 230 twice. Once as part of a deal to acquire the draft pick to select offensive guard Juice Scruggs. The Eagles traded the pick back to the Texans so they could acquire Houston’s sixth-round pick No. 191. Along with getting pick No. 230 back from the Eagles, the Texans also acquired pick No. 248 which they used on safety Brandon Hill.
Lastly, the Texans traded the pick to the Bills to move up for receiver Xavier Hutchinson. The Bills used pick No. 230 on Nick Broeker. They waived him a few months later…and the Texans claimed him. Some things are just meant to be.
As far as Mason, the additions across the interior of the line and his salary combined with the need for cap space could lead to him departing after his second season with the team. Cutting Mason in 2025 with a post-June 1st designation would save Houston $9.5 million in cap space with $5.2 million left in dead money. Mason will turn 32 before the start of the 2025 season.
Tytus Howard
Howard has been a versatile, talented offensive line for the Texans. He’s shown the ability to play at a high-level when healthy and allowed to focus at one position. Houston has used his ability to play all over. He’s played on the left and right sides as well as on the interior and outside.
The talent is there and he could flourish if allowed to stay at right tackle week after week and year after year. Unfortunately, injuries have placed him on injured reserve in three out of five seasons.
The addition of second-round pick, offensive tackle Blake Fisher was a wise insurance policy to Howard and Laremy Tunsil but could also force Howard out if he was to struggle with play or health this season.
Houston would free $14.2 million in cap space next year if they were to cut Howard with a post-June 1st designation or $16 million if they traded him after June 1st of next year. The dead money would be $8.9 with a post-June 1st designated cut and $7.1 million if traded after June 1st, 2025.
Summation
All of these moves won’t happen but Houston will be forced to make a couple of them to ensure they maintain adequate cap flexibility for 2024 and beyond.
Ward is the least likely to happen where Woods is the most likely to happen. The Woods trade or release would free up between $5 to 6.5 million in cap space that could be used for in-season moves this year, if needed or to rollover in 2025.
Of the three veteran players that could be post-June 1st cuts in 2025, the two offensive linemen are the most likely and both could possibly be moved on from. By doing so, the Texans could free up close to $25 million in cap space for next season.
Houston has drafted and traded for offensive linemen that can step up at guard and tackle if called upon. While the Texans would prefer to keep Howard, Mason and everyone, the roster and their contracts make them vulnerable for 2025.
Despite the savings, Autry is probably safe for next season as Houston doesn’t have the depth of talent and replacements at defensive tackle that they do on the offensive line.
