Texans Extend Hunter Through 2027 Season

The Houston Texans secured a key piece of their defensive future on Thursday by agreeing to a one-year, $40.1 million contract extension with edge rusher Danielle Hunter, keeping the 31-year-old Pro Bowl defender with the team through the 2027 season.

The deal includes a $30.7 million signing bonus and ensures Hunter remains alongside teammate Will Anderson Jr., forming one of the NFL's most formidable pass-rushing tandems. Hunter, who joined the Texans as a free agent in 2024 after nine seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, has led Houston in sacks during each of his two years with the franchise. Last season, he recorded 15 sacks, 54 combined tackles, three forced fumbles, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery, earning second-team All-Pro honors for the second time in his career.

Hunter's extension follows a one-year, $35.6 million pact he signed last offseason, building on the two-year, $49 million contract that initially brought him to Houston. A third-round pick by the Vikings in the 2015 NFL Draft out of LSU, Hunter has amassed 114.5 career sacks, ranking sixth among active players. He has posted double-digit sacks in eight of his last nine full seasons, including a...