BREAKING: Texans List of Free Agents Revealed, It’s Nearly 50% of the Roster
Texans are set to have many players enter free agency, but how many can they retain?
The Houston Texans came up short against the one seed Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. C.J. Stroud and the offense struggled all throughout and the team’s only touchdown came on a 67 yard punt return. Lamar Jackson did indeed look like the MVP, doing it all to help his team win by over 20 points.
The Texans were not expected to make it this far with a rookie quarterback and coach, however they defeated the odds and made it to the divisional round. Unfortunately for Houston, nearly half of the team is set to be free agents in the offseason.
Of course, many players will get re-signed, but 25 players set to hit free agency is a large number by any standards. The most notable names on this list are Dalton Schultz, Devin Singletary, Denzel Perryman, Adrian Amos, Derek Barnett, and Ka’imi Fairbairn.
The Texans should focus on re-signing key starters like the ones listed above. It is likely they won’t be able to retain all of their starters but after their success this season, players may choose to come back on a discount. The list of all free agents is as follows
How the Texans Could Structure Their Offseason
Some of these positions are more vital to keep around. The Texans have $74 million in cap space as they are one of the lucky teams who does not have a QB under contract for $40+ million. With that cap space, the team could sign many of their free agents back. The top four that they should retain are Devin Singletary, Dalton Schultz, Denzel Perryman, and Derek Barnett.
Singletary finally got the chance to show how explosive he was, after signing a deal with Houston last offseason. The halfback has played well enough to deserve a contract extension. Stroud seems very comfortable having him in the backfield as well as the big target down the field in Schultz.
After signing these two, the team should have $60 million in cap space left approximately. The next target would be the field general of this defense in Perryman. Like Singletary, he played well when wearing the Texan on his helmet. Him and Barnett are cornerstones on this defense that made many plays this season. From here, Houston should still have some space left to sign other free agents, whether returning, or not.
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Who is C.J. Stroud’s mom? Meet Kimberly Stroud, mother of Texans QB cheering on Houston in NFL playoffs
Kevin Durant said it best 10 years — moms are the real MVPs.
C.J. Stroud has enjoyed an incredible rookie season in the NFL. The No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft helped lead the Texans to an AFC South title and a playoff berth by going 10-7 in the regular season.
The success translated over to the start of the postseason. Stroud became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game when the Texans beat the Browns last week during the AFC wild-card round. It’s no coincidence that his biggest supporter was in attendance for the game was his mother, Kimberly.
Stroud’s close relationship with his mom has been well documented since the Ohio State product entered the league in the fall. She was back in action this week during the divisional round, as Kimberly was seen cheering on the Texans QB from the stands.
The Sporting News has more details on Stroud’s mom and their relationship.
Who is C.J. Stroud’s mom?
Kimberly Stroud is the mother of C.J. Stroud.
The two have a very tight relationship. Both have been open about the hardships they faced during Stroud’s childhood due to the decisions of his father, Coleridge Bernard Stroud III. The quarterback’s dad has been arrested twice and is currently incarcerated on a 38-year sentence.
The arrest of the patriarch put the family “into financial ruin.” The four children and Stroud’s mother were close to being homeless as a result.
“My mom, she had to play both roles for me for a while — mother and father,” Stroud said during the NFL Draft. “I’m super blessed to have a mother like I do.”
With Stroud’s father mostly absent during the quarterback’s adolescence, it caused Stroud to mature at a young age — something that helped mold Stroud into the man he is today.
“He had a choice when his father went away,” Stroud’s mother said. “He was going to let that motivate him and be the best or he was going to succumb to it and become a statistic of a kid whose parent did something they shouldn’t.
“I sit and I’m amazed at how resilient he is. C.J. is the most amazing human I have ever met.”
In November 2023, Kimberly and C.J. launched the C.J. Stroud Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps single mothers, children of incarcerated parents, and criminal justice reform.
“There’s a lot of different passions that [C.J.] has … [helping] single moms [is one of them] since I was a single mom,” Stroud’s mother said. “We all started crying [during the event] because a mom, her husband’s in prison … same situation.
“I’m really grateful that C.J. has taken the step … for a young voice in our generation to shed light on some of the issues that go on in this world.”
