Texans Star LB Primed for Big Extension After Will Anderson

The Houston Texans might not be done as it relates to big extensions this offseason.

Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Azeez al-Shaair (0) leaves the field following a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Houston Texans managed to cement another key piece of their roster on a big-time contract extension on Friday by signing Will Anderson Jr. to a new three-year, $150 million deal, coming out with over $130 million in guaranteed money.

It's far from the first deal the Texans have put pen to paper on through this offseason for both new contracts for pending free agents, or extensions for names slated to hit the open market in the next one to two years.

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The #Texans and All-Pro edge Will Anderson Jr. have agreed on a blockbuster, 3-year, $150M extension with $134M guaranteed to make him the NFL’s highest paid non-QB ever.

The deal, which includes a rare no-trade clause, was done by @AgentNicoleLynn of @KlutchSports. pic.twitter.com/oJqNuLpCTv

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 17, 2026

Danielle Hunter and Dalton Schultz signed contracts earlier this offseason as pending 2027 free agents to keep them on for one more year. They inked guys like Ed Ingram, Sheldon Rankins, and Trent Brown on new contracts before even hitting free agency. And now, Anderson is the latest to cash in on a new payday.

However, even with all of the busy activity thus far, it still might not be the last extension the Texans have on tap before next season gets underway; Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair might be a prime candidate to hash out a new deal as well.

Could Texans Still Sign Azeez Al-Shaair to New Extension?

The Texans had been linked to interest in potentially signing Al-Shaair to a new deal earlier this offseason, as KPRC2's Aaron Wilson had reported there being mutual interest in getting an extension done. 

That reported interest came at the beginning of March. And while a lot can change between the landscape that lies between Al-Shaair and a new extension with the Texans, it's hard to see a world where the two sides split between now and the next two seasons, even as an unrestricted free agent in 2027.

Last season, Al-Shaair had one of his best seasons with the Texans as a first-time Pro Bowler who played in 16 games for a total of 103 tackles and nine passes defended; his third year with over 100 combined tackles in a single season, doing so with the third different team of his career.

Dec 14, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Azeez al-Shaair (0) reacts at the line of scrimmage during the game against the Arizona Cardinals at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Hashing out an extension this offseason would also be able to save them cap in the short term by deferring money on his current contract to later years of a hypothetical extension, but also keep a captain and Pro Bowl level linebacker on for at least two seasons or more.

That's what the Texans did in the case of Hunter and Schultz, and allowed them to save money and improve the roster in the process.

If the Texans want to put in the extra effort to get aggressive and prepare this roster for next season––which they've shown no hesitancy in doing thus far this offse–on––expect Al-Shaair to be next in line for that extension to come his way, whether that be for simply one extra season, or maybe two.

If that deal can become a reality, it'll leave all but a couple of key fixtures on this defense signed on for at least the next two seasons, thus allowing for at least a couple more runs of being an elite-caliber unit on the defensive side with a true Super Bowl-level ceiling.

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