The Texans are retaining one of the most reliable and durable players in franchise history.
Veteran long snapper Jon Weeks is re-signing with the Texans on a one-year contract that includes a $1.165 million salary and a $152,500 signing bonus, according to a league sourfce.
Weeks played in his 200th consecutive game last season against the Tennessee Titans.
Weeks has played for coaches Gary Kubiak to Bill O’Brien, Romeo Crennel, David Culley and Lovie Smith and has snapped for everyone from Neil Rackers, Matt Turk, Randy Bullock, Nick Novak, Fairbairn, Shane Lechler and Cameron Johnston.
“It’s definitely something I’m very proud of,” Weeks said during the season. “I think the important part of my job and one of the aspects of it is to be as consistent as possible. I think when I can look back and say that I got to game 200 and done it consecutively, I feel like I’ve done my job at a high level. It’s something I’m very proud of. I’ll be more proud if we can go get the win.
“It’s funny, you look back at it and it’s like your time in college, it’s flown by. It’s been a fun ride and I’ve enjoyed every second of it. I’m incredibly blessed to do what I’m doing right now. I love doing it and I love playing with the guys in the locker room. I’ve really enjoyed my time and I hope to continue going for as long as possible.”
Weeks, 36, signed with the Texans in 2010 after going undrafted out of Baylor. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2015 as the top long snapper in the NFL.
Honored with a cake with the numeral 200, Weeks had a packed room for his press conference, which included 86-year-old Texans co-founder and chairperson Janice McNair who hugged Weeks and congratulated him on his stellar run.
“Selfishly, I’m fortunate and lucky to coach that, because people like Jon Weeks in our business, in the NFL, have the ability to do it day in and day out, season in season out for an extended period of time for years is difficult,” special teams coordinator Frank Ross said. “Now, we’re talking about 200 games. I’m fortunate to learn from him, and to have him on our roster where I know that week in and week out he’s going to do exactly as asked and work hard every week to do so.
“Talking about 200 games specifically, it’s an achievement that I honestly don’t know how many times that’s happened, and the ability that it’s been consecutive is a testament to consistency, every day, coming in, showing up, hard work, but doing work with intentionality and focus. Once you hit a certain age in life to be able to continue to work on your body and improve your body, becomes more and more challenging and he’s done just that. Excited for him, and happy he was able to achieve that. (It’s) A big goal for him and congrats to Jon.”
Weeks was out of football after two years after trying out for the Detroit Lions and was training in Arizona to be an emergency medical technician when he got the call from the Texans.
Weeks’ most memorable game: his first preseason game 13 years ago against his hometown Arizona Cardinals.
“To be able to put on the uniform for the first time in front of all my friends and family was a very special moment for me and something I look back and cherish,” Weeks said.
Weeks passed retired Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson for the most games in franchise history in 2020.
Despite some close calls over the years, Weeks has never missed a game.
“I’ve been lucky,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate, thank goodness, that nothing very dangerous has come along. I’ve had one or two instances where I wasn’t sure, but I always told myself if I felt like I could go and I was still the best option for the job that I was going to do it, as long as I didn’t compromise the team. Fortunately for me, I’ve felt good every day. I just continue to keep working, trying to stay in shape, do things the right way and keep going.”
Photo: Getty Images
Source: Texans hiring Rod Wright
By Aaron Wilson
University of Miami defensive ends coach Rod Wright, a Houston native, is joining the Texans’ defensive coaching staff, according to a league source.
A former All-Big 12 and All-American selection at the University of Texas who was teammates with San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan with the Longhorns, Wright is a former Miami Dolphins seventh-round draft pick.
Wright grew up in Houston and was an All-American and all-district selection at Hastings.
Playing for Mack Brown, Wright was named Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-Big 12 selection.
Wright has coached at East Carolina, Sam Houston State, Texas San-Antonio.
At UTSA, he was co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.
He had Bill Walsh Diversity coaching fellowships with the Seattle Seahawks and 49ers. He was also a student assistant and defensive special assistant at Texas.
When he was hired by Miami coach Mario Cristobal, Wright drew heavy praise.
“I’m fired up to add Rod Wright to our defensive staff,” Cristobal said. “The Hurricanes are committed to dominating in the trenches, and coach Wright will be a game-changer for our defense. His career in the NFL and his college coaching experience have helped mold him into one of the nation’s top developers of talent and best recruiters. He will make an impact on our program’s identity when it comes to mental and physical toughness, and I’m excited to watch him elevate our culture.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790.