The NFL offseason rolled along on Wednesday, with the league business year officially beginning in the late afternoon. With that, the two day legal tampering period ended, and all of those deals agreed to over that time (well, all but one, shout out to Maxx Crosby!) converted from handshake to ink.
The Houston Texans certainly have had their fair share of activity thus far in the early going of the offseason. They’ve had a few trades, including a trade for a starting running back. They’ve brought in some new players, including a possible starter at right tackle or left guard. Perhaps the most “Texan” thing they’ve done, though, is take care of several of their own players in house.
Last week, the team tacked on a season to the contracts of defensive end Danielle Hunter and tight end Dalton Schultz. Both will be with the team through 2027 under these extended deals. On Tuesday, though, they got an extension done that flew a little more under these radar than Hunter’s and Schultz’s, extending kicker Ka’imi Fairibairn’s deal by two years for a total of $13 million.
Let’s dig into this decision, with three thoughts:
Fairbairn becomes the highest paid kicker in the NFL
At $6.5 million per year in new money, Kairbairn becomes the highest paid kicker in the league. Like every position, that will probably change in short order, as salaries are constantly on the rise, but for now, Fairbairn holds the title. If I had to guess, Brandon Aubrey and the Cowboys may eventually agree to a deal that exceeds Fairbairn’s in average annual value. Regardless, Fairbairn is more than deserving, having kicked 44 field goals in the 2025 season, leading the league, even while missing two games due to injury.
Fairbairn’s most important kick came in the playoff loss to New England
If there was an Achilles heel to Fairbairn’s game, throughout the course of his nearly decade long career, it was an inconsistency in kicking outdoors, particularly in adverse weather conditions. A missed extra point in the playoff loss to Kansas City two seasons ago comes to mind. However, in the Texans’ final game of this past season, the loss to the Patriots, Fairbairn boomed a clutch 51 yard field goal in the second half of the 28-16 loss. It’s just one kick, but proving that Fairbairn had that “club in his bag” was comforting.
Fairbairn is the last vestige of the pre-Caserio era
With right tackle Tytus Howard traded to the Browns a week ago, Fairbairn is the only player remaining from the pre-Nick Caserio era (in other words, pre-2021). In fact, Fairbairn was technically selected three GM’s prior to Caserio, as Rick Smith signed Fairbairn as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Fairbairn was then witness to (including interims) four more GM’s and five more head coaches. If anyone could write a book about the crazy swings of the Texans franchise over the last decade, it would be Fairbairn. Or Jon Weeks.