The draft may be over, but the 2026 offseason is still a live wire for the Houston Texans! NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo are reporting that the Texans are signing LB Azeez Al-Shaair to a 3-year extension, keeping him in Houston through the 2029 season:
The #Texans and Pro Bowl LB Azeez Al-Shaair have agreed to terms on a 3-year extension, per @MikeGarafolo and me. A nice payday for a big-time defender and Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in a deal negotiated by Jason Chayut of @SPORTSTARSNYC. pic.twitter.com/P3Q7zDMYeD
Before trading for Dee Winters, the #Cowboys talked to the #Texans about Al-Shaair, per @toddarcher. But Houston values Al-Shaair for his play on the field and community work off of it. Now putting their $$$ down to further prove it. https://t.co/pw2InrYHMp
This extension arrives after Al-Shaair’s second and most successful season with the Houston Texans, where he earned his first NFL Pro-Bowl nod and tallied:
Originally coming into the league as an undrafted free agent signing by the San Francisco 49ers in 2019, Al-Shaair’s toughness, awareness of every player on the field, and tenacity at the point of attack quickly earned him a starting role with the 49ers in 2021 and 2022, which was the same period of time that current Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. After a 1-year stint with the Tennessee Titans in 2023, Ryans would get his MLB back when Houston signed Al-Shaair to a 3-year, $34 million contract in March 2024. Back when that deal was reported in 2024, I said of Al-Shaair:
A three-year, $34 million signals that Houston’s front office is pretty confident in Al-Shaair’s ability as well, a far cry better than the $2.59 million total earnings [former Texans LB Blake] Cashman earned in his two years here. – FizzyJoe
Texans, LB Azeez Al-Shaair agree to terms on a 3-year extension. (via @rapsheet + @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/CIvs4XuKJt
Now that another three-year deal has arrived at Al-Shaair’s doorstep, I think it’s safe to say Houston and DeMeco Ryans are very, very satisfied with their investment in his abilities. Even though Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson, and Derek Stingley take a lot of the headlines, Al-Shaair has been the rock in the middle of Houston’s vaunted defense that has allowed all of the other stars to shine. A defense can’t keep tallying sacks if the opposing QB is able to dump the ball off mere a second or two after taking the snap, and a defense can’t keep nabbing turnovers if the QB is able to just take the safe throw right in front of him. For the last two seasons, Al-Shaair has excelled at making the middle of the field look muddy to the opposing offense, and has become such a tackling machine that no tailback can get guaranteed 1st-down yardage with him floating around the field.
The #Texans have given LB Azeez Al-Shaair a 3-year extension, per a source.
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) April 29, 2026
Over the last two seasons in Houston, Azeez Al-Shaair, who will turn 29 on August 4th, has become one of the very best linebackers in the NFL. I’m a very biased Al-Shaair fan, but in my view, he’s absolutely worth whatever hit the Texans’ cap space will take with this contract. If Houston wanted to keep this party going on defense, keeping Al-Shaair in-house was a big step forward.
BREAKING: The Texans are signing LB Azeez Al-Shaair to a three-year extension ‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/qoNEUBmTKO
What do you think, though? Is Azeez Al-Shaair good enough to warrant a second 3-year contract in a row? Or, should Houston have looked in the 2026 NFL Draft for the future at MLB? A lot of noise was made by me and other Texans fans about the potential of Georgia LB C.J. Allen or Texans LB Anthony Hill Jr. coming to Houston as a potential successor, but both of those predictions never materialized. Would Houston have been better off taking one of them, or are they fine with keeping Al-Shaair as the green-dot LB? Let us know your thoughts on this extension down in the comments below!
l love how fast and hard this Texans team plays. This is the ideal that single-gap teams hope to achieve.Watch Azeez Al-Shaair pic.twitter.com/FK8Nz45XwW