Tag: Desmond King

2024 NFL free agency: Contract details for DB Desmond King’s 1-year deal

The Houston Texans brought Desmond King back on a one-year deal worth up to $2.2 million.

The Houston Texans spent the early parts of free agency retaining some of their own. The Texans kept key players like tight end Dalton Schultz and kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn but also shored up its depth with a lot of defensive and special team signings.

One of those players was veteran defensive back Desmond King, who signed a one-year deal to return to Houston. The contract details of that deal have emerged and King will make a maximum of $2.2 million in 2024, according according to KPRC’s 2 Aaron Wilson.

Here’s the full breakdown:

  • Terms: one year, $2.2 million maximum value
  • Guaranteed money: $500,000
  • Signing bonus: $300,000
  • 2024 base salary: $1.3 million
  • 2024 cap hit: $1.71 million
  • Annual active roster bonus: $200,000

King, 29, was a surprise preseason cut by the Texans but returned to the team after playing three games in Pittsburgh. He started as the Texans’ nickel cornerback in five games, including both postseason contests.

The 2023 season was King’s third in Houston. Before, he played for the Los Angeles Chargers and had a nine-game stint with the Tennessee Titans. He was a first-team All-Pro defensive back in 2018.

Despite not joining the Texans until Week 12, King finished second on the team in total kick return. His 12.6 yards per punt return was the best on the roster a year ago. King played 80 special teams snaps a year ago.

Houston’s defensive backs cost $39.9 million, the second-most expensive position group behind the offensive line, according to Spotrac. King joins a group of 15 defensive backs and ranks ninth in percentage of the cap space. 

Lonnie Johnson Jr. says goodbye to Saints fans in returning to Houston

Lonnie Johnson Jr. says goodbye to New Orleans Saints fans and teammates in returning to the Houston Texans:

This is a surprise loss: Lonnie Johnson Jr. said his goodbyes to New Orleans Saints fans and his teammates on social media Monday, at the start of the NFL legal tampering window. Johnson is going back to the team that drafted him in a deal with the Houston Texans.

Johnson was well-regarded by the Saints coaching staff, who played him last year as the primary backup to Marcus Maye. When New Orleans chose to let the veteran free safety go, Johnson appeared to be a natural choice to compete with second-year pro Jordan Howden as Maye’s replacement. Johnson was limited by a lingering hamstring injury last season but played well when healthy.

Good luck to him. Johnson pointed to the success his old Texans teammates Jordan Akins and Desmond King found in reunions with Houston as reasons for his own return. He’s eager to carve out a niche in DeMeco Ryans’ defense and prove himself. We’ll see how the Saints react.

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Texans brings back CB Desmond King on 1-year deal: Report

King was a surprise cut in the preseason, but the veteran corner will be back with the Texans next season as a depth piece in the secondary.

With multiple defensive backs entering free agency, the Houston Texans retained one of its key defensive backs from a year ago.

Cornerback and return man Desmond King inked a one-year, $1.8 million deal to return to Houston, according to KPRC’s 2 Aaron Wilson. The deal has a maximum value of $2.2 million.

King, 29, started the 2023 season in Pittsburgh and played three games for the Steelers. Houston signed King to the practice squad and added him to the active roster ahead of its Nov. 26 matchup against Jacksonville. 

He previously played for two years with the Texans before the veteran corner was a surprise preseason cut by Houston ahead of this past season. In 2023, King had 47 tackles and two passes defensed. During his first two years with Houston, King started 25 games and had five interceptions.

King was one of the Texans’ primary punt returners, attempting eight returns for 101 yards. Before Houston, he played four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, earning a first-team All-Pro selection in 2018. 

He’s one of the Texans’ re-signings from this past year’s AFC South championship team. Houston retained tight end Dalton Schultz, kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, and additional defensive back help in Eric Murray. 

Worst of the Week: Clete Blakeman, Jamal Adams, Ron Rivera, Broncos in the red zone

Jamal Adams, Ron Rivera, Broncos in the red zone, Joe Flacco’s last two plays, and more bad officiating! It’s the NFL’s Worst of the Week!

Football is a wonderful, thrilling, inspiring game that can lift us to new heights in our lives.

But football is also a weird, inexplicable, at times downright stupid game that may force you to perform Keith Moon-level furniture destruction in your own living room.

So, as much as we at Touchdown Wire endeavor to write about what makes the game great, there are also times when it’s important to point out the dumb plays, boneheaded decisions, and officiating errors that make football all too human.

Folks, it’s time for the Worst of the Week for Week 13 of the 2023 NFL season.

Forward progress call that robbed Desmond King’s touchdown might be worst of the year

Texans cornerback Desmond King had a fumble return for a touchdown against the Broncos, until Shawn Smith’s crew made an inexcusable ruling to rob it.

As bad as NFL officiating has been this season — and it’s bad enough that Roger Goodell had better do something about it — there’s a long list of entrants for the worst call of the 2023 campaign. That said, the forward progress call that robbed Houston Texans cornerback Desmond King of a fumble return touchdowns in Houston’s Sunday game against the Denver Broncos might take the booby prize.

With 7:24 left in the third quarter, Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson threw a short pass to running back Samaje Perine, and it certainly looked as if King stripped the ball and returned it for a touchdown.

Not so fast, as referee Shawn Smith’s crew determined that Perine’s forward progress had been stopped, and therefore, it was not a fumble. You’d have a tough time finding any evidence of that on the field. CBS rules analyst and former NFL referee Gene Steratore agreed. As Steratore is generally inclined to give his ex-comrades the benefit of the doubt, this was a definitive statement.

It might be nice if forward progress was reviewable in this case. It might also be nice if NFL officials would stop deflating games with their outright incompetence.

Texans waive Shaq Griffin, elevate Desmond King amongst flurry of transactions

The Texans made several roster moves on Wednesday, including the decision to waive Shaq Griffin

The Houston Texans are making moves.

The team stayed busy on Wednesday afternoon following an announcement that right tackle Tytus Howard, stationed at left guard for most of the 2023 campaign, is going to miss the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury.

Shortly after the announcement, Houston waived cornerback Shaq Griffin. Griffin started multiple contests for the Texans this season in the absence of Derek Stingley but had played zero snaps at corner the last two games after his interception of Joe Burrow in the Week 10 win over Cincinnati.

After that, it was a series of roster formalities for Houston around the rest of their team. Altogether, they made the following moves:

  • Waived CB Shaq Griffin
  • Placed RT Tytus Howard on Injured Reserve
  • Signed CB Desmond King to the 53-man roster
  • Reinstated LB Denzel Perryman following his 3 game suspension
  • Signed K Matt Ammendola to the practice squad
  • Signed LB Garrett Wallow to the practice squad

Perryman and Ammendola are expected to resume their starting positions at middle linebacker and kicker, respectively, for the team’s game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. King, who was with Houston in the pre-season, may be asked to assist Tavierre Thomas at the nickel cornerback position as he gets up to speed with the defense.

CB Desmond King sees rejoining Texans as ‘fresh start’

In returning to the Houston Texans, cornerback Desmond King sees a fresh start in a familiar place.

As Houston Texans cornerback Tavierre Thomas sat down at his locker, he was greeted by an old friend who didn’t speak a word. He just gave Thomas a look, and both men erupted in laughter, keeping the reporters in attendance in suspense, wondering what the inside joke was all about.

That camaraderie was something that Thomas had missed after defensive back Desmond King was surprisingly cut at the conclusion of training camp this past summer after spending the prior two seasons with the Texans. The Pittsburgh Steelers quickly added him to their roster, hoping to use his unique skill set to help them get through the rough AFC North, but after three games, including one against the Texans, the Steelers released him.

King, 28, went to San Diego, California, to train and keep himself in shape while spending time with his one-year-old daughter. When that call came from his agent that Houston wanted to sign him to the practice squad and bring him back home, King was ready to come back to the franchise, where he started 25 of 33 games, recording 182 tackles and five interceptions.

“I am excited to be back,” King said after practice on Wednesday. “That’s all that matters. Giving me a second chance here to come back and be with the family; I missed these guys so much. Just to see them doing well, it’s good to be back in a good presence with them.

“I feel like this is an opportunity for me just to come out here and play ball. Not to think too much about it and come here with a clear mind. Like I have said before, this is a fresh start; just go in and do what I do best, and that is play football.”

Although King was not a part of the team, he kept up with his former teammates from a distance, watching the amount of success they were having and keeping themselves in a position to win the AFC South title.

“I was still watching even when I was away; I was still watching the guys and still rooting for them,” King said. “It’s good just to see them doing well and being a part of the family.”

The Texans recognized King and Thomas’s bond on and off the field as they talked continuously about football and life. So, when King returned, they placed his locker next to Thomas’s so the bond could continue growing.

“It is great to have him back,” Thomas said. “He is very versatile and will help me out a lot. He is going to help the back end out a lot in general because he can play all positions. Just having him back is a blessing. That is my brother, and anytime I can play with my brother, I am happy.”

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Texans sign CB Desmond King to the practice squad

The Houston Texans have signed cornerback Desmond King to the practice squad.

The Houston Texans are going with a familiar face to help out in the secondary.

The Texans signed corner Desmond King to the practice squad Monday. Houston previously rostered King from 2021-22 wherein the former Pro Bowler played 33 games for the Texans. King collected 182 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, five interceptions, 14 pass breakups, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries while with the Texans.

Houston released King at the end of preseason, and he spent three games with the Pittsburgh Steelers primarily as their kick returner. King returned four kickoffs for 88 yards. King logged one defensive snap compared to 15 special teams snaps.

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Iowa legend coming back as honorary captain for Hawkeyes vs. Rutgers

Iowa has an abundance of legends that have worn the black and gold. One of those legends will be the honorary captain versus Rutgers.

Some are believers that the presence of greatness can elevate others. For the Iowa Hawkeyes, they are hopeful that can be the case this Saturday as they host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a massive tilt with Big Ten West implications on the line for the Hawkeyes.

Everyone knows that Iowa produces NFL-caliber tight ends like an assembly line at a factory. One position group that they also consistently pump out talent from is the secondary, be it safeties or cornerbacks.

One of those talents will be back this Saturday inside Kinnick Stadium. Desmond King will be the honorary captain.

King’s career at Iowa is up there among the best that have been through the program. his career is littered with awards and recognition. At Iowa, he totaled 263 tackles, 47 pass breakups, and 14 interceptions.

Desmond King was first-team All-Big Ten in 2015 and 2016, a unanimous All-American in 2016, the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in 2015, and the Jim Thorpe Award winner in 2015. King went on the be drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers. In 2018, he was a first-team All-Pro.

Iowa has continued its ways of producing outstanding defensive talent to follow in King’s footsteps. For Hawkeye fans, they may be hoping that his presence can bring some ball-hawking this Saturday.

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Steelers work out handful of free agent cornerbacks

The Steelers continue to look for answers at cornerback this season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced they had released cornerback Desmond King and in his place signed cornerback Darius Rush off of the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. In addition, the Steelers also worked out four more free-agent cornerbacks.

The list of cornerbacks included former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Don Gardner, veteran BoPete Keys who last played for the Cleveland Browns, former sixth-round pick Rachad Wildgoose and rookie Rezjohn Wright. Does this mean the Steelers are still in the market for another cornerback or will they be satisfied with just adding Rush?

In all likelihood, if the Steelers sign any of these free agents, it will simply be to add to the practice squad.

The Steelers secondary had been inconsistent all season. Despite the addition of Patrick Peterson and Chandrick Sullivan, this group has taken a step back from last season. Hopefully the team will turn to rookie Joey Porter Jr. soon to help add a spark to the defense down the stretch.

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