Texans lock up kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn with 4-year contract

The Houston Texans have re-signed kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn to a four-year contract extension.

The Houston Texans have re-signed kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans have locked up the former UCLA Bruin to a four-year deal worth $17.65 million. Fairbairn’s contract also has a $9 million guarantee, and his annual salary is third-highest in the NFL.

Coach Bill O’Brien credited Fairbairn for their Week 16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 23-20 at Raymond James Stadium.

“I think in the in the Tampa Bay game I would say one of the main reasons why we won was because of how we kicked the ball with Ka’imi and how we punted the ball,” O’Brien told reporters on Dec. 26, 2019. “I think those two guys were huge in that game. Ka’imi’s kickoffs, for example, were very accurate and placed exactly where we wanted to place them, and then obviously he made his field goals and PATs, which are points on the board, which is huge.

“Ka’imi is a very good kicker. We’re glad he’s on our team.”

There was no better time to have Fairbairn on the Texans than during the AFC wild-card game versus the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium. Fairbairn’s chip-shot, 28-yard field goal with 3:22 left in overtime lifted the Texans over the Bills and into the divisional round to face the No. 2 seed Kansas City Chiefs. Fairbairn went 3-of-4 on field goals in the postseason, and connected on 20 of his 25 attempts in the regular season.

Houston signed Fairbairn as an undrafted free agent in 2016, but he spent his rookie season on injured reserve with a quadriceps injury. In 2017, Fairbairn beat out Nick Novak, and he has made 77 of his 92 career field goals with a 111-of-121 mark on extra points. The longest field goal made in Fairbairn’s career was a 55-yarder against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 10, 2017, in a 26-16 loss at NRG Stadium.