HOUSTON – For a long time, the most in the history of the Texans, every field goal, extra point and punt has begun with a precise, practiced, professional snap delivered by veteran long snapper Jon Weeks.
As the longest tenured player in franchise history and one of the most reliable special teams contributors in NFL history, Weeks, 38, first joined the Texans in 2010 as an undrafted free agent out of Baylor. Fifteen years later, Weeks is still snapping for one of the top special teams units in the league. He has appeared in 244 consecutive games and was named to one Pro Bowl. Only former Dallas Cowboys long snapper L.P. Ladouceur has snapped in more consecutive games in NFL history than Weeks with 253 games.
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Ideally, yes, Weeks would like to keep things rolling with the defending AFC South champions and continue what he’s started. He’s still chasing a championship for a team that reached the divisional round for the sixth time this season and lost to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Weeks is a pending unrestricted free agent who played last season under a one-year, $1.377 million deal that included a $1.21 million base salary and a $167,500 signing bonus on a contract that is expiring.
“I have a good feeling of what I want to do next year,” Weeks told KPRC 2. “You know the ultimate goal is a Super Bowl and I’m still chasing after it, right? So, I have a good idea of what I want to do. Sometimes, it’s not up to you. So, we’ll see what happens, but I’m excited for the team and the future.”
The Texans finished 11-8 each of the past two seasons, winning consecutive division titles under the leadership of coach DeMeco Ryans, Weeks’ former teammate, and general manager Nick Caserio. They’ll return multiple players for next season, including quarterback C.J. Stroud heading into his third NFL season.
“I think the foundation, the future of the organization, is in a fantastic spot,” Weeks said. “We came up short this year. Only one team ever ends up happy during football season, so it stinks. Everybody knows that the next team is going to be different, but I think the foundation and the core guys are all set in stone. Nick and DeMeco do an amazing job and I’m excited for the future of the team.”
A team captain and former Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee, Weeks is part of a strong special teams group coached by special teams coordinator that includes kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn and punter Tommy Townsend.
It was a tough ending for the Texans in the kicking game against the Chiefs, including a missed extra point, a blocked field goal and a missed field goal for Fairbairn, who set records during the regular season, an off-game by Townsend and cornerback Kris Boyd’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for throwing his helmet after forcing a fumble recovery by Kansas City after a 63-yard kickoff return. Overall, it was another good year for the special teams.
“The guys play their tail off every day,” Weeks said. “Frank brings a ton of energy. Frank is an amazing coach. ‘Imi is an amazing kicker, one of the best. And Tommy’s one of the best punters in football. Those guys went out, balled out every Sunday. It was a privilege just to be a part of the group and I’m thankful for that.”
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.