HOUSTON – Will Anderson Jr. bolted out of his stance, accelerating past overmatched rookie offensive tackle Will Campbell to drill New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye into the ground.
It was another snapshot of how dominant the Texans’ All-Pro defensive end has become as the scourge of quarterbacks around the league.
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Although the Texans ultimately lost the playoff game to the Patriots, it wasn’t because of Anderson. He recorded three sacks, two forced fumbles and two tackles for losses.
The extremely high value of Anderson as a pass rusher and run-stopper was underscored again, just as it was all season during a breakout year. He finished the regular season with a career-high 12 sacks, 54 tackles, 20 tackles for losses and 23 quarterback hits.
The former Alabama star is now eligible for and has earned a blockbuster contract extension after his third NFL season and is in line to become one of the highest paid edges in the NFL and overall defensive players.
The Texans and Anderson are expected to negotiate this offseason in what should be one of the more expensive undertakings in franchise history. Anderson could command an annual compensation in excess of $40 million annually and as high as the $45 million range as one of the elite defenders in the league.
Anderson, a former third overall pick acquired after a trade with the Arizona Cardinals, has proven himself at every turn on and off the field as a team captain and feared pass rusher and run-stopper.
“Of course,” Anderson said when asked by KPRC 2 about his desire for a new deal with the Texans. “I want to be here my whole career. I love the Texans. I love everything about them. You know, they traded up and got me, man.
“But, you know I don’t really like to speak on all these things. But, of course I would love to be here, man, and if it’s in God’s will to happen, it’ll happen.”
The high end of the edge rusher marketplace is topped by the Green Bay Packers’ Micah Parsons at $46.5 million annually with a total value of $186 million. That contract is followed by Detroit Lions star Aidan Hutchinson at $45 million annually and $180 million overall, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt at $41 million annually and $123 million overall, the Cleveland Browns’ $40 million annually and $160 million overall, teammate Danielle Hunter at $35.6 million annually and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby at $35.5 million.
In just three NFL seasons, Anderson already has recorded 30 sacks, 136 tackles, 46 tackles for losses and 64 quarterback hits.
According to Next Gen Stats, Anderson finished with the second-most quarterback pressures in the NFL with 85 and the third-highest pressure rate, a 20.5 percent clip. He also set the NFL record for most third-down pressures with 48 in a single season in the Next Gen Stats era.
“I mean, the Terminator is just how Will is: hit everything, destroy everything, the destroyer,” Texans defensive line coach Rod Wright told KPRC 2. “The guy, just the physicality that he plays with, his motor. Will, he’s a joy to have in the building.
“Obviously, you’ve seen him get really serious, but behind closed doors with us, man, it’s never a light moment with him. There’s always something going on. If it’s quiet, he’s going to be the guy to get us going, laugh and all that stuff. But also when it’s time to lock in, he’ll lock in.”
From the standpoint of the team, Anderson can’t wait to begin again after a crushing loss to the Patriots as the team lost in the divisional round for the third year in a row in the DeMeco Ryans era. The Texans are 0-7 all-time as a franchise in the divisional round.
The Texans’ top-ranked defense will return largely intact. It’s the offense that needs addressing, especially quarterback C.J. Stroud needing to play better football after a rough playoffs that included five fumbles and five interceptions with seven total turnovers against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Patriots.
“I think we’re right there,” Anderson said. “I think we have a really special group, good core of guys that’s here, and I’m excited about the future of the Texans. I know next year we’re going to keep getting the right guys in here, keep getting the right people in here, keep bonding together and keep getting better. I think it’s just the consistency part of keep building this culture and get the people in here that we know fit the culture.”
The Texans are building a strong track record of taking care of their homegrown talent.
The Texans negotiated a three-year, $90 million extension for All-Pro corner Derek Stingley Jr., a former third overall pick from LSU, earlier this offseason that makes him the highest paid cornerback in the NFL in terms of new money.
The Texans briefly made Jalen Pitre the highest paid nickel in the NFL with a three-year, $42 million extension.
The Texans also rewarded Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter to an extension that pays him $55.1 million over the next two seasons, including $54.1 million guaranteed, with a $32 million cash payout this year.
“Those guys, they deserve it,” Anderson said. “They work really hard. They put a lot of hard work into their craft. And you see it on Sundays, and I’m excited to be part of that team building.”
Regardless of where the Texans wind up with Anderson in contract talks, he’s extremely enthused and focused about the outlook.
"Man, the biggest thing is not deviating from the swarm mentality," Anderson said. “Everybody on board, everybody’s swarming, everybody playing the defense, everybody going out there flying to the ball, all 11 hats to the ball. That’s the type of defense we want to be, man. I’m excited.
“I love this group so much, man. I just see the potential of this team and how great we can be. And the guys we have in the locker room and the coaches we have.”
When the Texans brokered the deal for Stingley Jr. to make him the new highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, the hefty financial deal represented something more than money.
It was about respect, Stingley resetting the marketplace for top corners and an organizational philosophy and message about drafting, developing, and, ideally, rewarding players in their prime who have earned long-term deals like Stingley and Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins.
Stingley receives a $25 million signing bonus and an average annual compensation milestone of $30 million in a blockbuster deal that has $89 million total guaranteed.
“Through Stingley’s extension, I think everybody can see the message there,” Ryans said during the NFL owners meetings one year after Pro Bowl wide receiver Collins received a three-year, $75 million extension. “We want to send a message to all of our young guys: When you do it the right way, guys like Stingley, Nico, young guys who came in and played really well for us, became top players in the league at their positions, you want to reward those guys. You want everyone to see we’re going to reward guys for doing it the right way.”
The Texans have a core of young players, including Anderson in line for new deals after being drafted by general manager Nick Caserio.
“The relentless mindset is so key and it’s all over our building right now and it’s really fun,” Hannah McNair said. “And Nick keeps drafting really well. It’s a great problem to have that we can’t keep everyone, but that speaks to Nick and DeMeco and getting the right guys in the building.”
The Texans, as they did with Stingley, want to keep extending as many young players as possible.
“They’re setting the standard,” Cal McNair said. “They have come in and set the bar at a really high level. They’re great teammates and great leaders and we’re really happy to embrace that and get young players and continue to see them evolve and mature. We’re really looking forward to seeing where that chapter is going to lead.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com