Texans Make Feelings Abundantly Clear on Rumored Nico Collins Trade

Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, an interesting report surfaced the league landscape as it related Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins, and his potential availability in terms of a trade.

Teams around the league noticing his current contract situation, who is signed with the Texans through 2027, had seemingly "checked in" with the Texans to see what Collins' availability might look like, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Sources: Teams have called the #Texans to check on 2x Pro Bowl WR Nico Collins with an understanding in the league that he needs a contract adjustment.

It seems highly unlikely Houston would deal him, but teams have checked. Collins will make $20.6M this season when the WR… pic.twitter.com/WOJjOIp2Pb
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 23, 2026

For teams around the league to do their due diligence as it relates to player and roster movement, trade calls and discussions happen behind the scenes nearly every day. So it's wouldn't be too shocking for front offices to poke around Collins and his security in Houston, if they were a bit interested.

However, when it comes to Collins and his availability, Texans general manager Nick Caserio sent a firm message following the second day of the draft surrounding the trade rumors for his star receiver.

Simply put, Collins won't be going anywhere.

"We're not trading Nico Collins," Caserio said on Friday. "Whoever reported it or whatever information that they had, they can shove it. We're not trading Nico."

Texans Looking Pretty Unlikely to Ship Out Nico Collins

Sure, the Texans could look into a potential move involving Collins, and cash in on a pretty nice haul in terms of a trade package in the event shopping the multi-time Pro Bowler was a possibility in mind.

But it takes two to tango in any blockbuster deal around the league. And for the Texans, they clearly aren't willing to entertain anything if it involves moving off their number-one wideout in the building.

It makes total sense from the Texans perspective as to why they have zero interest in pivoting from him, just based on how consistent Collins been atop his game through the past three seasons,

Collins is coming fresh off his third-straight season of logging over 1,000 receiving yards with 71 receptions for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns, coming as a result of a shortened season by three games.

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) participates in early pregame warmups against the Las Vegas Raiders at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

As a focal point of the Texans' receiver corps and a top target for C.J. Stroud, his presence in this Texans offense does wonders, and on paper, continues to slot him in as a franchise cornerstone until further notice.

Still, there's no question that the Texans have a responsibility to pay Collins a pretty nice extension in the near future.

After having previously signed a three-year, $72 million extension in May of 2024, his annual contract value now comes out to look dwarfed compared to other high-end pass-catchers around the market, such as Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase, each of whom is making $40 million AAV or more on their respective deals.

Instead of reaching that $40 million range, he's around half of that. Just looking at his numbers on the field will tell you he's more than capable of a higher price tag from what he has now.

So far, Collins hasn't made much of a fuss about his contract numbers, which bodes well for the Texans and their chances to get a long-term deal hashed out either this offseason, or perhaps even next.

But the big-picture idea remains the same: Collins is in Houston to stay, no trade is in the works, and that means getting him a new payday sooner rather than later.

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