Texans to pick up Derek Stingley's Jr.'s fifth-year option ahead of extension
Derek Stingley Jr. might have just gotten paid a massive extension, but it won't kick in until 2026.
That's a good thing for the Houston Texans since he'll be without the defending AFC South champions even longer.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Texans will pick up Stingley's fifth-year option, keeping him on his rookie deal through 2026. After that, the Texans will pay the All-Pro cornerback $30 million annually as part of a three-year, $90 million extension.
While Stingley won't be the highest-paid cornerback in 2026, he will still earn $17.6 million in the final year of his rookie contract. That number still ranks among the top 12 cornerbacks in the league, something he's more than proven to be over the past two seasons under head coach DeMeco Ryans' man coverage scheme.
All together over his next five seasons, Stingley will make $11 million in 2025, $17.6 million in 2026, and an average of $30 million up until 2029. Best of all, he'll only be 27 when he hits free agency once more, meaning a $130-$150 million extension isn't off the table for him down the line.
Derek Stingley Jr.'s new deal with the #Texans includes a fifth-year option that he was slated to receive in 2026. So, he's under the #Texans' contractual control for five seasons -- two from his rookie deal, plus the three-year, $90M extension reached today.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 17, 2025
Houston knew it had to lock up Stingley before the draft and ahead of contract extensions for New York Jets' Sauce Gardner and Kansas City's Trent McDuffie. Last week, cornerback Jaycee Horn, who is also represented by Stingley's agent David Mulugheta, signed a four-year, $100 million contract extension with Carolina Panthers, thus giving him an annual salary of $25 million.
Derek Stingley Jr. allowed just 4.9 yards per target last season, the fewest among outside cornerbacks (min. 30 targets).
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 17, 2025
Stingley also allowed only 42 completions across 90 targets, including 18 passes defensed.@HoustonTexans | #HTownMadehttps://t.co/IW9hNr4QAZpic.twitter.com/K8WSTOB8rK
Drafted No. 3 overall out of LSU, Stingley has lived up to the billing when healthy. Last season, he played in all 17 games for the first time in his career, totaling five interceptions and 18 pass breakups. He allowed the second-lowest completion percentage while going up against some of the league's top targets, including Miami's Tyreek Hill, Dallas' CeeDee Lamb, Minnesota's Justin Jefferson, Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown and others.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans: CB Derek Stingley Jr.'s fifth-year option pick up for 2026
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