The Houston Texans are extending their third-year safety, Jalen Pitre. The deal is for reportedly $39 million with $30 million guaranteed. Pitre played a key part in a Texans secondary last season that terrorized opposing offenses throughout the league. Houston ranked sixth in passing defense last season only allowing 201 passing yards per game on average. As for Pitre, he had a solid year last season. Going into his fourth NFL season, the Houston Texans are hoping he can continue to maximize his potential while being an anchor of their already impressive defensive unit. Given the numbers Jalen Pitre has put up already in three years, he has a chance to become a premier safety of the NFL.
Houston Texans Agree to Three-Year, $39 Million Extension
Jalen Pitre’s Impact
Jalen Pitre had an impactful season last year for the Houston Texans. With the offseason addition of CJ Gardner-Johnson, the Texans will have a terrific safety duo on paper. Last season, Pitre authored numbers of eight passes defended, one interception, and 65 tackles in 12 games played. Moreover, he also logged six tackles for a loss and two quarterback hits. If his season was not cut short in Week 12 against the Tennessee Titans, Pitre would have certainly had a Pro Bowl type of season.
At that time, he ranked third on the squad in tackles, tied for fifth in tackles for a loss, and third in pass deflections. Jalen Pitre has already carved out a solid career numbers wise. He had a standout rookie campaign in 2022 when he finished with five interceptions, eight pass deflections, and 147 combined tackles. His second season saw Pitre record five pass deflections, six tackles for a loss, and 84 combined tackles. Considering all of this, the Houston Texans have high hopes for Jalen Pitre going forward.
Houston’s Odds For Next Season
Considering the Texans have given out a few other extensions this offseason, they are sending a clear message about their confidence in the defense. Head coach, DeMeco Ryans, had this to say:
“We want to send a message,” Ryans said. “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, they became top players in the league at their positions, you want to reward those guys.”
Per FanDuel, the Texans currently have odds of +2,800 to win the Super Bowl next year. If the team can bolster the offensive line to give quarterback, CJ Stroud, more protection, then the Texans could be a sleeper. However, the upcoming NFL Draft will tell us a lot on the direction of this Texans squad going into next year.
