Maliek Collins signing two-year, $23 million extension with Houston Texans
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that the Houston Texans have extended the contract of veteran defensive tackle Maliek Collins.
According to Schefter, Collins will be signing a two-year, $23 million extension that includes $20 million guaranteed with the Texans. Collins’ agents Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha negotiated the deal with Houston general manager Nick Caserio and director of football administration Andrew Brown.
Collins has spent the last last two seasons with the Texans and has produced, appearing in 30 games and recording 66 tackles, 6.0 sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovery from his interior defensive line spot.
For the past two seasons he’s been a bright spot for a Texans defense that’s had its fair share of struggles, ranking as one of the bottom three teams in the last three seasons in yards allowed per game. The last two seasons have ended with the Texans parting ways with defensive coordinators David Culley and Lovie Smith, as newly hired defensive mind and head coach DeMeco Ryans will now take his stab at reviving Houston’s defense.
Collins played his college ball at Nebraska, where he earned Second-team All-Big Ten honors before being selected with the No. 67 pick in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.
He spent the first four seasons of his career in Dallas, racking up 14.5 sacks for America’s Team while playing on his $3.22 million rookie contract. He signed a one-year contract in March of 2020 with the Las Vegas Raiders, playing in just 12 games due to time spent on the injured reserve before signing with Houston in 2021.
This is Collins’ third contract with the Texans, initially signing a one-year deal with the team in 2021 followed by a two-year extension prior to his most recent extension. His extension follows a slew of defensive tackles signing new contracts this offseason which includes Dexter Lawrence, Daron Payne, Ed Oliver, and Jeffery Simmons. While defensive tackles like Chris Jones and Quinnen Williams still await new deals.
Along with extending Collins, the Texans have also signed former New York Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and San Fransisco 49ers tackle Hassan Ridgeway this offseason to bolster up their defensive front. Houston also notably drafted former Alabama EDGE Will Anderson with the No. 3 overall pick in the most recent NFL Draft to add to their new-look defense.