Showing that a contract extension can come out of the woodwork at any given time, Houston Texans GM Nick Caserio got some work done yesterday, as the Texans and backup quarterback Davis Mills agreed to a one year contract extension that will keep Mills in Houston, barring a trade, through the 2025 season:
Let’s dissect this bit of news with a few thoughts:
Why this makes sense for the Houston Texans
If I’m choosing a side in this, the Texans or Mills, for whom this makes more sense, I would side with the team. Mills is in his fourth season in the building and second season in Bobby Slowik’s system. He’s had a very good training camp and has separated himself from Case Keenum as the clear backup to C.J. Stroud. $5 million is a very reasonable backup wage for the team, and locking Mills in for another year keeps him on the roster as a trade asset, should another team running this system (nearly half the league fits that designation) need a quarterback, or if Bobby Slowik takes a head coaching job after this season, he might want that team to acquire Mills. It makes a lot of sense for the team.
Why Mills may have said “YES”
I think if Mills just played out his deal this season and hit free agency, he would have done better than a one year deal for $5 million. I feel strongly about that. I think there are several teams that would have given Mills a multiyear deal for high level backup money, or maybe even bridge starter money. Mills may feel, though, that one more year in the system could benefit him even more in the long run. Additionally, if Stroud does get banged up, Mills will get a chance to operate an offense with Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Stefon Diggs as his top three targets. Also, he might just like playing for this team, this head coach, in this suddenly revamped culture.
My, how things have turned in less than a year
Think about where the team was with Mills late last season. He had been the designated backup quarterback all season, until the team actually needed a backup quarterback in Week 15, when the team instead pivoted to Case Keenum to face the Tennessee Titans. It proved to be the right move, as the Texans beat the Titans that day. Now, he is the clear cut backup. Good for Mills.
The selection used on Mills in 2021 is now justified
If we want to get sentimental for a moment, Mills was the first draft pick of the Nick Caserio Era, selected with the 67th overall pick in 2021, the eighth quarterback taken in that draft. While Mills has faced his fair share of criticism from his time as the team’s starter in 2021 and 2022, this pick has been an undeniable success. It hasn’t been a jackpot level success, but still a plus pick. If you get a high level backup who gets to a contract extension with the 67th pick, that’s a win. Under Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value stat, Mills AV of 15 for his three seasons is better than 20 of the players taken in the SECOND round, let alone the third round, in which Mills was selected.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
