When the Texans brokered a three-year, $90 million contract extension with All-Pro defensive back Derek Stingley Jr. to make him the new highest paid cornerback in NFL history, the hefty financial investment represented something more than money.

It was about respect, Stingley resetting the marketplace for top corners and an organizational philosophy and message about drafting, developing, and, ideally, rewarding players in their prime who have earned long-term deals like Stingley and Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins.

Stingley receives a $25 million signing bonus and an average annual compensation milestone of $30 million in a blockbuster deal that has $89 million total guaranteed.

“Through Stingley’s extension, I think everybody can see the message there,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said during the NFL owners meetings at The Breakers one year after Collins received a three-year, $75 million extension. “We want to send a message to all of our young guys: When you do it the right way, guys like Stingley, Nico, young guys who came in and played really well for us, became top players in the league at their positions, you want to reward those guys. You want everyone to see we’re going to reward guys for doing it the right way.”

The Texans have a core of young players, including quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson who will be eligible for contract extensions next year after their third NFL seasons. The Texans and nickel Jalen Pitre, a second-round draft pick by general manager Nick Caserio, have a mutual interest in a contract extension, per league sources, and it’s a matter of finding the right number for the Stafford graduate to keep playing for his hometown team after next season. Contract talks haven’t opened yet, but preliminary conversations have been held.

“The relentless mindset is so key and it’s all over our building right now and it’s really fun,” Hannah McNair said. “And Nick keeps drafting really well. It’s a great problem to have that we can’t keep everyone, but that speaks to Nick and DeMeco and getting the right guys in the building.”

Stingley has base salaries of $1.431 million in 2025, $21.595 million in 2026 that are fully guaranteed, $20 million in 2027 guaranteed for injury that will become fully guaranteed by March of 2026, $21 million in 2028 guaranteed for injury at signing that becomes fully guaranteed in March of 2027 and $21 million in 2029. The total package is five years and worth $113 million overall, including a $1 million roster bonus in 2029 and per-game active roster bonuses up to $500,000 from 2026 to 2029.

Stingley surpassed Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn’s four-year, $100 million contract that briefly made him the NFL’s highest paid corner in the league. Both deals were negotiated by Austin-based agent David Mulugheta of Athletes First.

A former third overall pick and consensus All-American from LSU, Stingley earned this status as an All-Pro selection last season with a total of seven interceptions, including two in the playoffs as he picked off Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.

“It’s been extremely exciting and gratifying to see how he’s come on into the type of player Nick saw when he was drafting him out of LSU,” Texans owner Cal McNair said. “He missed some time at LSU and it was a bit of an unknown, but Nick really believed in him, scouts believed in him and the coaches. He worked on it. He put his head down.

“As you’ve seen, he’s a very humble but very hard working player that loves football, leaves it all on the field in practice and in games and has shown he’s an elite player and doing everything the right way. We were excited to go to him early and extend him and show that we appreciate all that he’s done and all that he’s accomplished.”

The Texans, as they did with Stingley, want to keep extending as many young players as possible.

“They’re setting the standard,” Cal McNair said. “They have come in and set the bar at a really high level. They’re great teammates and great leaders and we’re really happy to embrace that and get young players and continue to see them evolve and mature. We’re really looking forward to seeing where that chapter is going to lead.”

How did Stingley celebrate? With a simple meal: a bucket of crawfish spread across a picnic table.

Investing in Stingley was far from crazy, though. It made perfect, logical sense to an organization that values so many things about Stingley, including his character and dedication to football, fitness and film study.

Natural cover skills.

The seemingly effortless acceleration and athleticism.

How instinctively Stingley racks and catches the football, with soft hands that rival wide receivers’ grip and fundamentals.

The underrated, hard-nosed aspect of his game, and how he embraces tackling as a willing and capable thumper.

So, the Texans stepped up in a major way by rewarding Stingley for the player he is and with the hope that he’ll continue to be an elite corner for years and years to come. This deal likely only sets the stage for future contract extensions for Stingley with the Texans.

“That means a lot,” Stingley said. “Especially throughout the years, just every single year it seems like I’ve gained their trust more. They’re allowing me to be comfortable with who I am, whether that’s on the field or off the field. So, there was never any pressure to be this person or be that person. So, I think it’s pretty cool. They actually believe in me, so that’s nice.”

Stingley’s new deal topped Horn’s $25 million annual average along with Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, an All-Pro selection like Stingley, playing under a four-year, $96 million extension that averages $24 million annually, just a bit less than Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey’s three-year, $72.3 million deal that averages $24.1 million. Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander (four years, $84 million, $21 million average), Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell (four years, $81 million, $20.25 million average) and Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (five years, $100.5 million, $20.1 million average) are the next highest paid corners.

New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner should benefit from Stingley’s market-setting payday, as should Surtain and other elite corners.

“I kind of went into this situation just basically just thinking, like, ‘Just playing football,‘” Stingley said. “I wasn’t really focused on how all of that was going to get done. It got done and it’s cool. The market is different now, but that doesn’t really have anything to do with me really. I am just here to play football.”

Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790.

The Matt Thomas Show with Ross