'Houston Has Been Home!' Texans Kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn Wants To Stay Despite Free Agency
As the Houston Texans turn the page to 2024, they’ll face a long list of free-agent decisions that could make or break their competitive chances. Operating in the window quarterback C.J. Stroud’s rookie contract provides, optimizing cap space can help surround the superstar passer with enough talent to compete with the best teams in football.
However, splurging on improvements to the offensive line, receivers, or secondary could mean going lean elsewhere on the roster. Special teams may not be overlooked after the chaos Houston witnessed in kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn’s absence, but there’s no guarantee general manager Nick Caserio will bring his veteran kicker back.
Getting younger and cheaper at kicker is more than possible, and it would put an end to one of the longest-tenured Texans’ chapters in Houston.
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Fairbairn reacted to his pending free agency after the Texans’ season came to a close against the No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens, 34-10.
“Houston has been home for me,” Fairbairn said. “I’d really like to stay, we’ve got a bright future it feels like. Continue to work hard and figure out how far we can go with this thing. But yeah, time will tell.”
Fairbairn had a strong season in 2023, though the highlight of Houston’s special teams may have been backup running back Dare Ogunbowale hitting a field goal when the incumbent went down with an injury. In all, he hit 27 of 28 field goal attempts – and five of six from 50+ yards – and missed just one of his 22 extra-point attempts.
The seven-year veteran saw some struggles in 2021, dropping to below 80 percent on field goals, but has earned the trust of the coaching staff with back-to-back years of conversation rates over 93 percent.
Fairbairn missed one of his attempts in the AFC Divisional Round, though it would not end up mattering. For now, he is taking the time to reflect on his time in H-Town and accepting whatever comes next.
“It’s the classic bittersweet, nothing is taken for granted here. I truly cherish every year I have,” Fairbairn said. “Things could be different but that’s part of the business. I’m thankful for my time here, I hope I get to stay. And if not, it wasn’t meant to be.”
