Texans Poised to Pay Will Anderson Jr. Massive Extension

As far as front office dominoes go, Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio handing out a lucrative new contract extension to stud edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. is one of the biggest to fall across this offseason. There's really no great secret that the Texans would prefer to get Anderson tied up in a pretty timely fashion.

With that in mind, NFL insider Ian Rapoport is reporting that it's simply the way the organization goes about business later this offseason.

“Deals come together when they come together,” Rapoport said. “A lot of times, these happen later in the spring. I wouldn’t be surprised if this one happens at some point in the relatively near future. Mainly because what the Houston Texans have done and what Nick Caserio and DeMeco Ryans have established is a team that takes care of their stars. Every negotiation is a battle, but if you look at what the Texans have done, they have paid their guy.”

“…they make it a priority to reward the guys who should be rewarded. You look across that defense, and they got a lot of guys who are really good [and] who are going to make a lot of money. I would expect Will Anderson to be first, and I would expect him to be very, very worth it.”

Will Anderson Expected to Get Lucrative Deal This Offseason

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) leaves the field following an AFC Wild Card Round win against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

For now, Rapoport will have to patiently wait to get his bite at being the very first with the breaking news that Anderson has just become the highest-paid defender in the league.

But Rapoport is going on Caserio's traditional tendencies, which saw him hand outstanding cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. a three-year, $90 million deal last year to keep the elite Texans defensive group together.

Quite clearly, getting ahead of the contractual curve is a strategy Caserio prefers. The willingness to talk terms is also music to the ears of agents who represent these top stars like the Texans have on board.

C.J. Stroud Might Be Forced to Wait

Caserio is also aware that getting a deal thrashed out with Anderson will set the parameters for what he plans to do next with starting quarterback C.J. Stroud.

All the recent posturing from the Texans has been about how Stroud is still going to be the quarterback of the future despite his lame-duck showing in the playoffs. But talk is cheap, especially when it comes to the front office smoke and mirrors NFL GMs use in their arsenal more often than not.

When it comes to ponying up, Rapoport is pretty sure that Caserio will go into full air-traffic-controller mode and put Stroud into a holding pattern until he works out how to land a big contract.

“Now, as far as C.J. Stroud goes, I wouldn’t be surprised if that waits a year just to let him have a little better year under his belt before he negotiates,” Rapoport continued.

We often have to remind ourselves that Stroud is still only 24 years old, but that's probably because it feels like a lot of time has passed since the Texans passer lit up the league as an award-winning rookie. Just how poorly Stroud played against the New England Patriots in the playoffs has put his back to the wall at this point in time, and few will argue that's where he belongs.

Indeed, it's a box whereby Stroud's reaching for a skeleton key, which only proving himself all over again will provide.