Joining 49ers, veteran long snapper Jon Weeks leaves Texans as franchise’s longest tenured player

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, 39, first joined the Texans in 2010 as an undrafted free agent out of Baylor. Fifteen years later, Weeks leaves the Texans in free agency after signing a one-year, $1.422 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers that includes $200,000 guaranteed.

“Jon Weeks has been one of the most cherished members of our Texans family for more than 15 years,” Texans owners Janice, Cal and Hannah McNair said in a statement. “He has handled every extra point, field goal and punt snap, becoming the longest tenured player in franchise history. An admired team captain, deserving Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee and Pro Bowler, Jon exemplified how to do things the right way on and off the field. We are incredibly grateful for all he has done for our organization during his time as a Texan.”

Retired Texans Pro Bowl defensive end J.J. Watt, Weeks’ former teammate, wrote on social media: “A pillar of consistency, determination and excellent at his craft. Hell of a run in H-Town. Hell of a run.”

Weeks joined the 49ers as they released long snapper Taybor Pepper.

The Texans signed long snapper Tucker Addington earlier this offseason to a reserve-future deal. He’s the only long snapper currently on the roster and will likely compete with someone else for the job, but he has an excellent chance to be the replacement for Weeks.

Weeks 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.

Weeks wanted to keep things rolling defending AFC South champions and continue what he’s started, but now he’s moving on. 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 was an 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 expired. Ideally, Weeks would have liked to be back.

“I have a good feeling of what I want to do next year,” Weeks told KPRC 2 at the end of the season. “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.”

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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 was 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.