Fan knew that Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair wouldn’t be leaving the Houston Texans after his contract expired in 2026.
They now know how much he’ll make on his new deal that keeps him around the building through 2029.
According to reports, the Texans inked Al-Shaair to a three-year extension on Wednesday afternoon. Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the deal is for $54 million, which brings his annual salary to roughly to $18 million beginning in 2027.
Entering this season, Al-Shaair was on a team-friendly $33 million deal, which brought his annual salary up to around $11.3 million. That ranked roughly around the top 12 linebackers in the league. Following his Pro Bowl season, his new salary will make him the third-highest paid inside linebacker, trailing only All-Pros Fred Warner ($21 million) and Roquan Smith ($20 million).
As the heart and quote-driven leader of the NFL’s top-ranked defense, Al-Shaair was a staple of the Texans’ turnaround under DeMeco Ryans since arriving from Tennessee. Last season, he earned his first Pro Bowl nod after leading the franchise with 103 tackles.
Al-Shaair, a former undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic, turned into a full-time starter with the San Francisco 49ers under Ryans, also recorded a career-high eight pass breakups, two quarterback hits, one tackle for a loss, one interception and a fumble recovery while commanding the huddle wearing the “green dot” for Houston’s No. 1 ranked defense.
Off the field, Al-Shaair was regarded as the standup name for the franchise, being named the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year honoree, given to a player for his work in the community. Al-Shaair was named the NFLPA Houston chapter’s Good Guy recipient.
“There’s not a more selfless individual more about the team, who has earned the respect, that represents everything we want this program to be about,” general manager Nick Caserio said in 2024 of Al-Shaair.
This is the second defensive deal general manager Nick Caserio has given out since the end of the regular season. Earlier this month, the Texans picked up the fifth-year option of All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr., then locked him up through 2030 with a three-year deal worth up to $150 million, $134 million of which was guaranteed.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Details of Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair extension revealed
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
