Texans Poised to Pursue Panthers Free Agent

The Houston Texans appear to have their eye on one particular free agent from the Carolina Panthers heading into this offseason— one that relies on the interior offensive line that could bolster the protection in front of C.J. Stroud.

According to a recent report from Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports, the Texans have rumored interest in pending Panthers free agent center Cade Mays, who's not expected to be back with the team next season.

"During a recent team-needs piece on the Houston Texans, I mentioned that the team has a screaming need on the interior of their offensive line. That same day, I also mentioned in a separate article on the Carolina Panthers that center Cade Mayes was not expected back and will hit the free-agent market in March," Pauline wrote.

"Sources here at the Shrine Bowl expect the Texans to make a run at Mays once free agency opens to fill the hole they have at center. Mays, a sixth-round pick by Carolina in 2022, has started 27 games for the Panthers, including 20 over the past two seasons."

Texans Could Sign C Cade Mays

The Texans, heading into their most recent 2025 season, had already done some extensive tweaks on their offensive line from the year prior, finding four new starters within their five-man unit outside of veteran guard Tytus Howard, and it ended up leading to some improved results.

However, it seems like the Texans could be looking to upgrade their offensive trenches even further this offseason, if not, add a bit of competition to the center position by pursuing someone like Mays.

Mays has been with the Panthers for the first four years of his career since coming in as a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, having started in over half of the games he's been active for in the past two years, including 12 starts for his latest 2025 campaign.

Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers center Cade Mays (64) runs on to the field before the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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But it appears the writing is on the wall for what his future holds in Carolina, as he's now set to be a free agent searching for a new opportunity in the coming months, allowing the Texans a runway to make a push to sign the 26-year-old center.

Mays finished his fourth season with the Panthers with a 62.4 overall PFF grade, 24th amongst 40 eligible centers in the league, paired with the 13th-best pass-blocking rating amongst centers at 69.4.

NFL free agency won't begin for the Texans and the rest of the league until later this March, but once that time comes, Mays will stick out as a name to watch for Houston to target, and thus further strengthen their offensive line ahead of 2026.

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