In 2024, the Houston Texans won the AFC South and made the playoffs for a second straight season. Houston was 10-7 last year and beat the Chargers 32-12 in the wildcard round.
Despite a 23-14 loss to the Chiefs in the divisional, the Texans still have a lot to build off of. Instead of picking up his fifth-year option, Houston is signing CB Derek Stingley Jr. to a long-term deal. He is getting a three-year, $90 million contract with $89 million guaranteed. Stingley is now the highest-paid CB at $30 million per season.
The Texans made Derek Stingley Jr. the NFL’s highest-paid CB at $30 million per season
The top has been blown off the DB market. Sources say #Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. is the NFL’s new highest paid DB.
Stingley has agreed to terms on a 3-year, $90M deal — $30M per year. The deal done by David Mulugheta of @AthletesFirst includes a whopping $89M guaranteed. pic.twitter.com/sG0tQU3j0U
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2025
With the third overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Texans selected CB Derek Stingley Jr. out of LSU. As a freshman, Stingley won a national championship with the Tigers. He played two more seasons for LSU before he declared for the draft after his junior year. Over the first two seasons of his career with Houston, Stingely missed 14 total games due to injury. Eight as a rookie and six in 2023.
When Stingley is on the field, he is a playmaker for the Texans. In each of his last two seasons, Stingley had five interceptions. During his 2024 campaign, Stingely stayed healthy and played in all 17 regular season games. He finished with a career-high 54 combined tackles, 37 solo tackles, and 18 passes defended. Stingley Jr. was named a Pro Bowl selection in 2024 along with first-team All-Pro honors.
After his career-best season, Stingley is cashing in with a long-term extension. Carolina’s Jaycee Horn was previously the highest-paid CB in the NFL at $25 million per season. Stingley’s $30 million per season has set a new benchmark for CBs in the NFL. Houston’s defense kept the team competitive in 2024 when their offense was struggling. Dereck Stingley Jr. is a massive piece to the Texans’ success.