The Houston Texans have made it official – Nico Collins isn’t going anywhere.
Collins and the Texans agreed to a restructured deal on Tuesday that guarantees his salary for the next two seasons and hands him a $17 million raise, according to his agents who spoke with ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He’ll now earn $29 million this season and roughly $29.2 million in 2027, pushing his free agency back to 2028.
It’s a significant bump – but context matters here. Collins was heading into the final year of a three-year, $72 million contract that included a 2027 option, with salaries of $20 million and $21.2 million across those two seasons. By current market standards, that was well below what a receiver of his caliber should be earning.
The raise lands him as the 11th-highest paid wide receiver in the league – still a long way short of the top. Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba is pulling in more than $42 million per season, and Ja’Marr Chase is the only other receiver currently above the $40 million mark.
That gap tells its own story.
Collins had been linked to trade rumors throughout the offseason, largely because of where his contract sat – 18th among receivers league-wide before Tuesday’s restructure. But the Texans weren’t entertaining it, not even close. GM Nick Caseiro made that crystal clear at last month’s NFL Draft:
“We’re not trading Nico Collins. Whoever reported it or whatever information they had, they can shove it. We’re not trading Nico.” – via ESPN
That kind of directness from a GM doesn’t happen often. It also tells you exactly how much Houston values their receiver.
Collins, who the Texans drafted with the 89th overall pick out of Michigan back in 2021, has now posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons. Last year he finished with 1,117 yards and six touchdowns, helping Houston reach the postseason for a third consecutive year before falling to the New England Patriots in the divisional round.
He’s not the highest-paid receiver in the NFL – not even close. But after Tuesday, he’s got his money, his security, and two more seasons in Houston locked in.