HOUSTON – The decision to reward Will Anderson Jr. and make him the highest paid nonquarterback in NFL history was rooted in his standing as a foundational piece of the Texans.
Anderson is pivotal to the Texans’ present and future as a game-wrecking defensive end capable of harassing quarterbacks and shutting down runs, doubling as a team captain and leader.
Recommended Videos
Anderson signed a three-year, $150 million contract extension that makes him the highest paid defensive player in the league in terms of new money average. He received a $32 million signing bonus and is now under contract through the 2030 season. He received $134 million total guaranteed, $100 million fully guaranteed and a rare no-trade clause on a blockbuster deal negotiated by agent Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports and Texans general manager Nick Caserio
And hammering out this contract couldn’t have made Texans coach DeMeco Ryans any happier. Earned, not given embodies the situation.
“Will is an outstanding young man, outstanding player,” Ryans said Monday as the Texans launched their offseason conditioning workout program. “He shows up every single day, working how we expect guys to work and doing all the things a leader does. He’s a guy that you want guys following.
“He embodies everything that it means to be a Texan and he’s definitely deserving of the contract situation that he’s gotten. He’s earned it and he’s done an outstanding job of leading.”
The blockbuster deal exceeds a previous record-setting deal signed by Green Bay Packers pass rusher Micah Parsons last year, a four-year, $188 million contract with $120 million fully guaranteed and $136 million total guaranteed for a $46.5 million annual average.
Although the Texans ultimately lost in the AFC divisional round playoffs to the New England 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.
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.
Trading a first-round draft pick to land Anderson has proven to be an extremely wise investment as they selected him one pick after quarterback C.J. Stroud.
“The 2023 draft is probably one of the most exciting drafts that I’ve been a part of, and I would say one of the most exciting drafts in Texans history,” said Ryans, a former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year selected in 2006 out of Alabama. “It was exciting just to know what we were doing. We pick C.J. at the second pick and to know we’re back on the phones trying to trade up to get Will, it was just an exciting moment, a tense moment.
“The adrenaline is pumping in the room. It was awesome. Nick executed the trade. It was about the guy we were getting. As we all see, fast forward to where we are now, it was well worth the move. We knew the type of man that Will was, and it was worth moving up to get him and it has paid off big time for us.”
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 overall 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.
“Of course,” Anderson said when asked by KPRC 2 after the season 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.”
Without getting into specifics about future plans, the McNair family made it clear how highly they value both Anderson and quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was secured with a $25.9 million fifth-year club option through 2027 and isn’t expected to get an extension this year. The Texans and Stroud are open to future negotiations, though.
“We’ll let DeMeco and Nick make the football decisions there, but they’re exciting, really good young players,” Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair said. “We hope to have them around for a long, long time.”
PHOENIX -- #Texans Cal McNair and Hannah McNair on potential long-term deals for Will Anderson Jr., C.J. Stroud: 'Exciting, really good players, we'll hope to have them around a long, long time. .. It's a good problem to have when you have so many guys you want to keep under… pic.twitter.com/WunQinzX0g
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 1, 2026
A year from now, cornerback Kamari Lassiter and safety Calen Bullock will be eligible for extensions. Both were named Pro Bowl alternates after the 2025 season.
“It’s a good problem to have when you have so many guys you want to keep under contract,” Hannah McNair said. “If we keep drafting the way we do, this is going to be something we talk about every year.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com