Azeez Al-Shaair won’t be back for the Houston Texans until the Week 18 finale against the Tennessee Titans.
He’s also dealing with more issues surrounding his contract as Houston prepares for its Week 15 battle against the Miami Dolphins.
Al-Shaair, who was suspended for three games because of an illegal hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, will forfeit his next three game checks, but that’s not all he’s losing toward his salary.
According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, Al-Shaair’s $9 million guaranteed salary for the 2025 season will now automatically void due to the suspension. In total, Al-Shaair will lose $9.34 million because of the over $300,000 he’ll forfeit over the next three games.
The Texans inked the sixth-year linebacker to a three-year deal last offseason for $34 million, $21.5 million of which was guaranteed. Because the $9 million in base salary for 2025 automatically voids, Houston now has the option to release Al-Shaair after this season at no cost to the team.
But will they? According to Jones, no. Houston believes Al-Shaair is an anchor to DeMeco Ryans’ defense and will remain a part of the organization as the defensive captain for the foreseeable future.
“He’s part of our plans moving forward,” a Texans source told Jones.
That money could be earned back if and when he makes the final 53-man roster next season, but the difference is that it won’t be guaranteed. Per the contract, the $9 million “shall immediately be deemed NULL AND VOID from the beginning and in its entirety regardless of whether or not the 2025 Guarantee had otherwise been earned according to its terms at the time of Player’s Default.”
Jones mentioned that Houston couldn’t use its own discretion and reverse the void. Overall, this is a moot point since Houston knows that Al-Shaair is a part of its foundation.
If he wasn’t, general manager Nick Caserio and Ryans wouldn’t have been so vocal when it was announced his suspension would be upheld by the league office following a hearing with NFLPA rep Ramon Foster.
“We’re talking about some of the commentary that has been made about his character, about the person that he is, about what his intentions are from people that quite frankly don’t know anything about Azeez Al-Shaair,” Caserio said. “And for the league to make some of the commentary that they made about lack of sportsmanship, lack of coachability, lack of paying attention to the rules – quite frankly, it’s embarrassing.”