2:39pm: It’s a three-year, $12MM contract for Moore, according to McClain (via Twitter). That figure is unexpectedly low, so assuming no one inadvertently flipped any numbers along the way, it looks like a very nice deal for the Texans.
2:18pm: The Texans and Moore are now in agreement on a new deal, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
10:54am: Upon making a visit to Houston to meet with the Texans, Rahim Moore appears to be moving toward joining the team. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle was the first to tweet that it looks like the Texans are closing in on an agreement with the young safety, with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston confirming (via Twitter) that the two sides are indeed moving closer to a deal.
Moore initially ranked as the 28th-best overall free agent and the second-best safety in this year’s class, in our estimation. However, with Devin McCourty back in New England and players like Antrel Rolle and Da’Norris Searcy also off the board, Moore looks like the most-coveted safety currently on the market. The UCLA product was Denver’s free safety for the majority of the last four seasons, and was very impressive in 2014, racking up 51 tackles to go along with four interceptions.
Two of the Texans’ top three safeties from a year ago are currently free agents, including Kendrick Lewis, the team’s starting free safety. While the team may not end up bringing back Lewis or Danieal Manning, adding Moore to a secondary that also includes Johnathan Joseph, D.J. Swearinger, and newly-resigned cornerback Kareem Jackson would give Houston a nice collection of defensive backs.
If Moore finalizes a contract with the Texans, I expect it will be worth something closer to Searcy’s new agreement with the Titans (~$6MM per year) rather than McCourty’s contract with the Patriots ($9.5MM per year). However, Moore is still just 25 years old, so he should do well on this deal.
As for the Broncos, they’re hosting Darian Stewart for a visit today as they consider their options for replacing Moore.