Texans cornerback Derek Stingley is looking to capitalize on his 2024 All-Pro campaign as he enters this offseason eligible for a long-term extension.
The third overall pick in 2022 struggled to stay on the field across his first two seasons with just 20 appearances, but he was excellent when healthy. He put it all together over 17 starts this season with five interceptions and 18 passes defended as part of a Houston passing defense that allowed the sixth-fewest yards in the league. He will be eligible for a long-term extension this offseason and has one year remaining on his rookie contract, plus a 2026 fifth-year option that is projected to be $17.2MM, per OverTheCap.
Stingley recently said that he wants to be in Houston “forever,” according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, signaling his openness to extension negotiations this offseason. The Texans are similarly motivated to lock down their lockdown cornerback, especially as the cornerback market continues to rise. The team will start by picking up his fifth-year option, allowing extension talks to progress throughout the summer while signaling to Stingley that he is undoubtedly a part of their long-term plans.
As a reigning first-team All-Pro who could get a few Defensive Player of the Year votes, Stingley will be pushing to match or exceed $24M per-year figure recently earned by Patrick Surtain. The Texans may be hesitant to reach that number given Stingley’s injury history, so they may wait for him to put together another fully-healthy year before giving him a market-resetting contract.
The negotiations will also be impacted by the extension eligibility of Sauce Gardner, who was drafted by the Jets one pick after Stingley in 2022. Gardner has been healthy throughout his career, but Stingley has more ball production on a per-game basis. If the Jets quickly come to terms with Gardner, that could acclerate Stingley’s negotiations with the Texans by creating a clear framework for his deal.