In an NFL world where half of every roster in the league seems to be exist in a perpetually revolving door, with rampant turnover of personnel due to injury and short term contracts, the Houston Texans have done a remarkable job of locking down the foundational pieces of their roster to ensure they remain together for at least the next couple seasons.
Some of those pieces are still on their four year (or five, in the case of C.J. Stroud) rookie deals, some have been signed to extensions off their rookie deals (like Will Anderson a week or so ago), and some are veterans that the team has chosen to keep around on extensions (Dalton Schultz and Danielle Hunter, back in March).
The latest example of the third phenomenon, the veteran brought in as a free agent a few seasons ago and subsequently extended, happened on Wednesday afternoon, as the Texans and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair agreed to a three year extension. Al-Shaair was heading into the final year of his contract, so this now locks him in for what could be the remainder of his NFL career.
Al-Shaair was brought in back in the free agent binge of 2024, a spending spree that also saw the Texans sign Hunter, defensive end Denico Autry, and running back Joe Mixon (who was technically a trade, but was given a big extension after the trade was completed). Al-Shaair was almost immediately identified as a likely captain, and in the two seasons he’s been a Texan, he’s been the captain and quarterback of the defense.
Al-Shaair’s most noteworthy play in his first season as a Texan, in 2024, was actually one of the most infamous plays of the season league wide, as Al-Shaair executed a skull rattling hit on a sliding Trevor Lawrence in a win in Jacksonville late in the season. The hit touched off a melee that turned Al-Shaair into the league’s A-number one villain, with the NFL suspending him for three games and issuing a scathing character judgment on one of the league’s actual good guys.
The foolish press release issued by league executive Jon Runyan, following the Lawrence incident, looked even dumber after Al-Shaair was named the Texans’ representative for the Walter Payton Man of the Year, the league’s most prestigious award, given to players who are exemplary in their communities.
Al-Shaair came into the league as one of the more remarkable underdog stories. After his family lost their home in a fire, when he was a kid, they were homeless for an extended period of time. Al-Shaair ended up seeing football as his way to an education and better life, and attended Florida Atlantic University.
His senior year, however, Al-Shaair suffered a knee injury, which affected his draft stock, and he eventually signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent. At a position where teams usually take nine guys on the 53 man roster, Al-Shaair entered his rookie training camp as the team’s 10th linebacker. However, defying the odds, he made the team, and was fortunate enough to draw DeMeco Ryans as his position coach, forging a relationship that endures to this day.
In 2025, Al-Shaair was selected to his first Pro Bowl, recognition of his impact on the league’s best defense. Now, GM Nick Caserio has locked up another foundational piece for the NFL’s version of the “long term,” the next three years.
