If there was one free agent everyone agreed first-year general manager Nick Caserio had hit a homerun on at the midway point of the 2021 season, it was linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill. The sixth-year linebacker found himself in the midst of a career renaissance with the Houston Texans after taking a one-year contract for $3.25M
Even after signing a host of veteran linebackers including Christian Kirksey, Kevin Pierre-Lewis, Neville Hewitt, and Joe Thomas, Grugier-Hill stood tall as the best signing of the group.
He suffered an injury during Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks and was forced to miss the next two games but still ended the year with career highs in essentially every category. Grugier-Hill finished with 108 combined tackles, 71 solo tackles, two forced fumbles, 13 tackles for loss, and three sacks. The decision to bet on himself and join Houston after starting only one game in Miami the previous year paid massive dividends.
Even in the midst of terrible games, such as the 31-0 blowout loss to Indianapolis at home, Grugier-Hill was a bright spot. He set the franchise record for tackles in a game that day with 19.
19 tackles on the day for Kamu Grugier-Hill.
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 5, 2021
Now, Grugier-Hill is set to enter the free agent market once again. Both he and the Houston front-office have spoken on their mutual interest in finding a long-term contract extension. Specifically, Grugier-Hill has spoken of the strong locker room culture and the community he felt in Houston.
Texans LB Kamu Grugier-Hill on what keeps it from being a toxic environment
"The coaching staff, the people we have here in general. We are a close locker room-We all hold each other accountable. We do Bible studies together.. I think it's just the culture we're trying to build" pic.twitter.com/eiiTnVN3HY
— Tyler Milner (@tmilrealdeal) November 8, 2021
However, at the end of the day, the NFL is a business. Grugier-Hill will be looking for the best deal on the market and there are multiple teams in the league that would give him a better opportunity to win next year. They probably have less publicized Bible studies, too.
In regard to Houston’s own impending free agents, none of them are important as bringing Grugier-Hill back. The team’s best coverage linebacker and overall best defensive player outside of Jonathan Greenard, the talent deficient Texans aren’t in a good position to lose a valuable starter.
The NFL franchise tag period opens today. However, it is unlikely Houston would opt to go that route. A franchise tag would pay Grugier-Hill $17 million, five times greater than his salary last year, and only secure the linebacker for one season. Therefore, if Smith wants to retain one of the few bright spots in his 4-3 defense, they will have to settle on a long-term deal.
The market will likely determine the value for Grugier-Hill. Pro Football Focus has De’Vondre Campbell, the highest rated free agent linebacker, projected at close to $9 million per year. With that in mind, it’s feasible that Houston could bring back No. 51 at close to $4-6 million per year on a two- or three-year contract with incentives based on his performance.