According to representatives Drew Rosenhaus, Ryan Matha, and Jason Rosenhaus, wide receiver Nico Collins and the Houston Texans have reached an agreement on a three-year, $72.75 million contract that includes a $52 million guarantee.
The contract can be worth up to $75 million.
Collins, 25, just finished a career-best season in which he caught 80 passes for 1,297 yards (ranked eighth) and eight touchdowns (tied for eighth) in 15 games, ranking him 23rd in the NFL.
After this season, Collins—who was chosen in the third round of the 2021 draft—was supposed to become an unrestricted free agent. The former Michigan star has 150 catches for 2,224 yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons.
The agreement follows Houston’s acquisition of wide receiver Stefon Diggs and two draft picks in early April for the Buffalo Bills, which strengthened the team’s receiving depth. The Texans canceled the final three years of Diggs’ contract and gave him a $3.5 million raise, raising his basic pay to $22.52 million in 2024. Diggs will become a free agency after this season.
Reaching Out Collins provides the Texans with two receivers, Tank Dell, a 2023 third-round pick, and Collins, who they believe are dynamic playmakers and have contracts that extend past 2024. Although he was on pace to finish the previous season with 1,205 yards, Dell injured his leg against the Denver Broncos in early December. He finished the previous season with 709 yards as a rookie.
After being wounded at a private event in Sanford, Florida on April 28, when authorities believe a young gunman injured ten individuals following an altercation, Dell is doing well and took part in Texans OTAs.
“We want to put defenses in binds, and I think with those three guys it allows us to do that because they are so different, and they can all do different things,” DeMeco Ryans, the Texans coach, said. “But at the end of the day, they are all explosive finishers with the football, and that is what makes those guys great players. They can win on third down and they can finish and get in the end zone, and that’s what we look for at all skill positions on offense.”
