Texans, Pro Bowl LB Azeez Al-Shaair reportedly agree on 3-year extension through 2029 season
Texans, Pro Bowl LB Azeez Al-Shaair reportedly agree on 3-year extension through 2029 season
Andy BackstromWed, April 29, 2026 at 7:11 PM UTC
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Azeez Al-Shaair was a first-time Pro Bowler and the Houston Texans’ Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee last season. A team captain, he made an impact on and off the field for the Texans’ organization, which is now repaying him with a three-year extension, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday.
Al-Shaair, who will turn 29 in August, will be under contract through the 2029 season, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The financial terms of the extension haven’t been reported, but the Texans’ commitment to the hard-hitting backer is the latest example of the franchise ponying up to keep its stingy defense together for the long term.
Earlier this offseason, the Texans inked All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. to a three-year extension reportedly worth $150 million that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Before that, they gave fellow All-Pro defensive end Danielle Hunter what’s been reported as a one-year, $35.6 million extension.
Al-Shaair was the signal-caller for a Houston defense that ranked first in total yards per game allowed (277.2), second in points per game allowed (17.4) and third in takeaways (29) during the 2025 season.
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He’s a former undrafted free agent from Florida Atlantic who caught on with the San Francisco 49ers. He played for the Niners from 2019-22. Then he spent one season with the Tennessee Titans in 2023 — piling up a career-high 163 total tackles along the way — before traveling across the AFC South to join the Texans ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Al-Shaair’s arrival in Houston also marked his reunion with Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, who first served as the 49ers’ inside linebackers coach prior to taking over as defensive coordinator. Ryans occupied both of the positions during Al-Shaair’s stay in San Francisco.
In 2024, Al-Shaair notably received a three-game suspension from the NFL after he was ejected for hit to the head that concussed a sliding Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and sparked a Week 13 brawl between the teams.
Although Al-Shaair ultimately apologized to Lawrence, that situation was deleterious to his reputation. The Texans, though, have backed him and promoted his humanitarian work in Houston.
He was an undeniable leader of the team’s bruising defense in 2025. Al-Shaair will now reportedly be sticking around beyond this coming season.
Source: “AOL Sports”
