Category: 2024 NFL Free Agency

Texans have $13.7 million in dead cap money for 2024

The Houston Texans have the 12th-most dead cap money heading into the 2024 offseason.

The Houston Texans have a lot of salary cap space for 2024. After the NFL raised the cap to a record-high $255.4 million, Houston will have an around estimated $67.5 million in space this season, per Over The Cap.

This will give Houston a lot of financial flexibility this spring, either to extend or re-sign their players or spend lavishly in free agency. The Texans could even trade for and extend a deal-seeking veteran as well.

But all that cap space doesn’t mean Houston doesn’t have dead money to deal with this offseason. The Texans have about $13.7 million in dead money owed this year to players who either aren’t on the team anymore or whose contracts automatically voided after the 2023 season. That ranks 12th in the NFL, per OTC. That number could also rise if Houston elects to release other players to save even more money.

Here’s how the Texans owe $13.7 million in dead cap money.

NFL raises salary cap by $30 million to a record-high $255.4 million

The Houston Texans are expected to have around $67 million in cap space after the unprecedented increase by the league.

NFL teams will have about $30 million more to spend this offseason after the league raised the salary cap for active player contracts to a record $255.4 million, the league announced Friday.

That’s the highest increase ever and is now more than double what it was in 2013. The league also will give each club an additional $74 million to player benefits, including Performance Based Pay and benefits for retired players. So, in total, every NFL team will have $329.4 million to spend next year.

The huge increase in salary cap space is the result a combination of money owed from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as new media rights deals for the upcoming season.

“The unprecedented $30 million increase per club in this year’s salary cap is the result of the full repayment of all amounts advanced by the clubs and deferred by the players during the Covid pandemic,” the league wrote in a statement, “as well as an extraordinary increase in media revenue for the 2024 season.”

How does this affect the Houston Texans? It means they have even more salary cap space than previously expected. Houston will have around $67 million in cap space this season, according to Over The Cap, and around $64 million in effective cap space (which includes the projected rookie class).

The new salary cap number also affects the franchise tag, which the Texans can but aren’t expected to use on tight end Dalton Schultz. It would cost Houston around $12.7 million to lock Schultz down for a one-year, guaranteed deal in 2024, according to Texans Cap. It would also give the team more time to agree on a long-term extension.

With the 2024 salary cap ceiling announced, the offseason deals can start to take shape. The window to use the franchise tag ends on March 5, while the legal tampering period for free agency begins on March 11.

Here we go.

4 potential cap casualties for Texans in 2024

The Houston Texans’ salary cap situation is stable, but there are still a few moves the team could make to save some money this offseason.

The Houston Texans are in a pretty enviable salary cap position this offseason. They have a ton of cap space, no really bad contracts to worry about and no need to make serious cuts to save money.

That doesn’t mean the Texans won’t release players, though. There are always ways to save a little bit of money with players who either don’t fit into a team’s long-term plans or simply aren’t performing up to expectations. Again, the Texans don’t have many of those options on their balance sheet, but general manager Nick Caserio would be wise to at least consider some of these cost-saving moves.

Here are four possible salary cap casualties this offseason.

Texans named as possible landing spot for Brian Burns, Chase Young

The Houston Texans could be in the market for another edge rusher if they decide not to re-sign Jonathan Greenard.

The Houston Texans could be in the position to add to their defensive line this offseason in free agency.

While pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. proved to be a stud during his rookie season, the Texans could have a hole on the other side of the defensive line if the team doesn’t retain fellow edge rusher Jonathan Greenard in free agency. There could be several big-name players in the open market this spring, and Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger wrote that the Texans could be a landing spot for Carolina Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns or San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Chase Young.

Burns will be one of the biggest defensive free agents this offseason if he and the Panthers can’t agree on a long-term extension. He reportedly sought a contract worth at least $30 million per year before he was given the franchise tag before the 2023 season, according to ESPN’s David Newton, after he wracked up 12.5 sacks the previous year. This season, Burns accrued nine sacks.

That would be a lot of money to shell out for an edge rusher, especially since Greenard likely won’t command that type of contract. But Burns (who’ll be 26 in April) is bigger physically and has been consistently productive during his NFL career. He’s also less injury-prone than Greenard, who missed two games this past season but has never played a full season’s slate of games.

Young was the other big-name Spielberger linked to Houston. The No. 2 overall pick by the Washington Commanders won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 but failed to live up to the hype in the years after his first season. Young tallied 7.5 sacks in 2020 but has just nine sacks combined over the past three seasons. He also played in only 12 games from 2021-2022 while he recovered from an Achilles injury.

Young (who’ll be 25 in April) spent the final nine games of the 2023 season with the 49ers but managed just 2.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits. He sacked Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl, but otherwise failed to many a sizable impact on the San Francisco defense. It’s unclear what type of deal Young would want, but perhaps a one-year prove it deal would incentivize him to prove he is still an adept NFL pass rusher.

Za’Darius Smith of the Cleveland Browns and Romeo Okwara of the Detroit Lions were also named as possible options for the Texans. Smith will be 32 in October and wracked up 5.5 sacks this past season. Okwara will be 29 and tallied just 2.0 sacks in 2023.

As for Greenard, Spielberger wrote that either the Chicago Bears of AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts could swoop in and snag the Texans edge rusher.

ESPN analyst says Saquon Barkley to Texans would be ‘a slam dunk’

Another media member believes the Houston Texans could sign Giants running back Saquon Barkley if he hits free agency.

The Houston Texans continue to be named as a destination for impending free-agent running back Saquon Barkley.

ESPN analyst and former NFL linebacker Bart Scott said Wednesday that Barkley joining the Texans would be “a slam dunk” because of the team’s offensive line and salary cap situation with quarterback C.J. Stroud early in his rookie contract.

“I think Saquon to Houston is a slam dunk,” Scott said. “Everything that you can do to support a young quarterback – environment matters.”

This isn’t the first time the Texans have been linked to Barkley. Pro Football Focus named the Texans as an ideal landing spot for Barkley and oddsmakers gave Houston the second-highest next-team odds to land him.

It’s become more apparent with free agency drawing closer, too, that the New York Giants won’t give Barkley the franchise tag for a second consecutive season. He very well could re-sign with the Giants, but other teams could interest him more if Barkley hits the open market.

Houston’s running game could be one of the biggest points of emphasis for the team this offseason. Head coach DeMeco Ryans spoke about it at his end-of-season press conference and the team doesn’t have a clear-cut running back between impending free agent Devin Singletary and third-year Dameon Pierce.

Barkley could be the answer, and he’d give the Texans another level on offense. Stroud proved he could excel with the current weapons at his disposal, and wideouts Nico Collins and Tank Dell were a solid pass-catching duo. Houston has the salary cap space to pay Barkley what he’s worth, too.

Should the Texans trade for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk?

San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk could be on the trade block. Here are the pros and cons for the Houston Texans making a deal.

The Houston Texans can go in a lot of different directions this offseason.

Giving quarterback C.J. Stroud more offensive weapons should be at the top of the team’s priority list, though, and they have the salary cap space to sign a big-name free agent or trade for one who could be looking for a new deal.

One such name that recently popped up on the rumor mill is San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. He’s entering the final year of his rookie deal and ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote on Feb. 19 that the 49ers will “most likely” trade Aiyuk to a team that can pay him the big-money deal he will look for in 2025.

“The most likely way this shakes out is Aiyuk ends up getting traded to a team where he’s the clear No. 1 wideout and where he can get the extension he wants, leaving the 49ers to draft his replacement in the first round.” Graziano wrote. “That’s the cleanest way for them to address all of their needs.”

The Texans are in a prime position to pull off a move for Aiyuk. Houston has the salary cap space, could use another wide receiver and has the draft capital to facilitate a trade.

But does that make the most sense? Here are the pros and cons to trading for – and likely signing – Aiyuk.

Texans ‘could try to improve’ running back position this offseason, per report

The Houston Texans have been linked to a few high-profile free-agent running backs this offseason.

The Houston Texans will look to build on their quick rise this past season as defending AFC South champions.

Head coach DeMeco Ryans spoke about upgrading areas of the roster after the team’s divisional loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and one of the most obvious areas is in the running game. While Devin Singletary was solid in the backfield, he has a ceiling as a productive running back. The Texans have a lot of salary cap space, too, and could look elsewhere in free agency for that position.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that “there’s buzz league-wide that Houston could try to improve at running back to help second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud.” That makes sense considering the amount of quality veteran running backs set to hit the open market and the numerous reports which linked Houston to impending free agents like Tony Pollard, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs.

All four would be upgrades over Singletary and Dameon Pierce, but all four come with a price. Financially, they would be costly considering their pedigree and production throughout their careers. They’re also older (save for Pollard) and have a lot more tread on their tires than cheaper running backs.

But if the Texans truly want to take off in 2024, they’ll need to take risks. Paying for a running back is one of the bigger ones Houston could take – and one that hasn’t paid off for other teams in the past – but if the Texans trust Ryans, Stroud and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, it could be enough to take them over the top this upcoming season.

Texans have high next-team odds to land 2 free agent RBs

The Houston Texans have a lot of cap space and could use it to upgrade their backfield in 2024 and beyond.

The Houston Texans could be big players in the free-agent running back market this offseason

The Texans have a glaring need at the position and a lot of salary cap space to work with this offseason. Head coach DeMeco Ryans also addressed the team’s desire to improve the ground game in his final press conference of the season

Oddsmakers believe Houston will make moves as well. DraftKings Sportsbook released next-team odds for some of the biggest free agents of the spring and picked the Texans as the second-favorite to sign Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs. Houston was also listed as the third-favorite to sign Derrick Henry.

All three players would be major upgrades for the running game, but they could also be costly.

Jacobs and Barkley should command at least $10 million annually after both signed one-year deals to return to their respective teams in 2023. Both had down years this past season, but have led the NFL in rushing yards in the past as well. Henry would be a little cheaper considering his age (he’s five years older than Jacobs and four years younger than Barkley) and his usage (more than 2,000 career carries vs. fewer than 1,350 for Jacobs and Barkley).

It’s not a lock that all three will even be available, though it appears likely after how the season ended. Jacobs had a contentious 2023 offseason with the Las Vegas Raiders, Henry said goodbye to Tennessee Titans fans after Week 18 and ESPN’s Jordan Raanan believes the New York Giants will let Barkley test free agency and won’t franchise tag him.

The Texans appear to be in the mix for all three, now it just depends on what general manager Nick Caserio wants to do with the backfield and with the salary cap. Dameon Pierce is also entering his third season, although he looked like a shell of his rookie self in his first season with Bobby Slowik running the offense. Devin Singletary looked solid, but is an impending free agent with a clear ceiling of effectiveness.

Houston has a lot of questions to answer this offseason.

Texans listed as strong landing spot for RB Saquon Barkley

Pro Football Focus believes the Texans are a solid landing spot for free-agent RB Saquon Barkley.

The Houston Texans have ample cap space to use this offseason and one obvious need for improvement is the team’s running game. They struggled in that department last season and are expected to explore potential avenues to improve in 2024 and take the burden off of quarterback C.J. Stroud. One potential way to do that is the free agent running back class.

In a recent article, Pro Football Focus listed the Texans as an ideal landing spot for free agent running back Saquon Barkley, comparing his free agency to that previously of Lesean McCoy in 2015.

Houston got all it could out of free agent acquisition Devin Singletary, and it appears upshot 2022 rookie Dameon Pierce is not a great fit in the run scheme. Barkley can get to the edge well in outside zone and make defenders miss in space while also taking pressure off C.J. Stroud. The Texans should have had a much higher pass rate in 2023 and too often deployed a run-run-pass sequence, but Barkley is also an asset as a pass catcher and pass blocker.

Barkley is set to turn 27 this week and was selected second overall out of Penn State in the 2018 NFL draft. He’s rushed for 5,211 yards and 35 touchdowns over his six seasons with the New York Giants while making the Pro Bowl in 2018 and 2022, respectively.

Last year, Barkley was unable to reach a contract agreement with the Giants and was eventually franchise tagged. Although they negotiated a new one-year deal before the season, that contract does not prohibit New York from tagging him once again if they want to keep him as a weapon for quarterback Daniel Jones.

If Barkley hits the market, he’ll be a highly coveted player and could be a dynamic piece for offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. If not, Houston will ample options between their own players like Devin Singletary and other free agents such as Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, De’Andre Swift and Derrick Henry.

Texans named ideal landing spot for Cowboys RB Tony Pollard

If the Houston Texans want to upgrade their running game, Pro Football Focus thinkings Tony Pollard would be a good fit.

The Houston Texans could be big players in free agency, and one position they could address is running back. There could be a lot of big names on the open market this year, and Pro Football Focus picked Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard as an ideal for the Texans in 2024.

“Pollard still delivered a strong 83.9 PFF rushing grade (10th) and 1,005 rushing yards (12th),” PFF’s Jonathon Macri wrote. “… Pollard did have slightly better rushing metrics than [Devin] Singletary in 2023 and could be considered an upgrade for an ascending offense looking to add to their arsenal. The Texans are currently slated to lose about 60% of the team’s running back carries in free agency, which is a great number for Pollard to absorb as he looks to recoup some fantasy value.”

Whether or not this comes to pass relies entirely on three things: the Texans’ interest in retaining Singletary, the Cowboys’ interest in retaining Pollard and if Texans want to pay a running back big money. Any one of those factors could derail this idea, but it’s still an intriguing option for Houston.

DeMeco Ryans addressed the need to improve the running game during his post-2023 press conference. The team finished in the bottom half of the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns behind Singletary and Dameon Pierce.

However, the cure might just be better run-blocking up front rather than an entirely new rushing attack. The Texans will surely make some personnel changes in 2024 if they want to repeat as AFC South champions and progress further in the playoffs. Houston is expected to have the third-most salary cap space this offseason but a plethora of impending free agents as well.

Spotrac valued Pollard at $6.5 million per year, which would be a relatively low risk given his ceiling as a dual-threat running back. But is he worth that?

Pollard rushed for 1,000 rushing yards for the second consecutive season, but his yards per carry dropped dramatically when he became the Cowboys’ featured running back. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry in 2022 on only 193 carries, but averaged 4.0 yards per carry in 2023 on 252 carries. Pollard also scored half as many touchdowns this past season (six) than he did the previous year (12).

There are a few enticing running back options in free agency, including Pollard. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry could all hit the open market this season and all would be upgrades over Singletary and Pierce. The biggest question will be how Texans general manager Nick Caserio values the position and how important the running game will be in 2024.