Danielle Hunter’s big season for the Houston Texans paid off.
The Pro Bowler has agreed to a one-year $35.6 million contract extension that will make him the second-highest paid defensive end in the NFL, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The deal reportedly contains $54.1 million in fully guaranteed money.
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Hunter, who signed a two-year, $49 million deal with the Texans as a free agent last offseason, had previously been under contract for one more season with a cap number of $23.7 million with three void years from 2026 to 2028. Hunter will now be paid $55.1 million over the next two seasons, with $32 million coming to him in 2025.
The deal rewards the 30-year-old Hunter for a strong debut season with the Texans, who ranked sixth in the league in total defense and tied for fourth in sacks with 49. Hunter had 12 of those sacks, along with 46 combined tackles, 17 tackles for loss and three passes defended. He received his fifth career Pro Bowl selection, as well as Defensive Player of the Year votes.
This deal comes after the Texans made cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. the NFL’s highest-paid defensive back with a three-year, $90 million extension.
It is technically true Hunter will be the NFL’s second-highest paid defensive end, though that requires some fun math. Hunter is not the second-highest paid DE by total contract value, guaranteed money or average annual value with his new deal. Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby and Nick Bosa are all ahead of him in the latter.
All three of those players signed their contracts somewhat recently, with the value heavily backloaded on Garrett and Bosa’s longer deals. Garrett’s market-resetting four-year, $160 million deal only has a guaranteed salary of $2.25 million and a cap number of $21.9 million in 2025, per OverTheCap, while Bosa is due $30.6 million with a $20.4 million cap number.
Some contracts will pay some edge rushers much more than Hunter’s $32 million, but not in 2025. So with those acrobatics, yes, Hunter will be the second-highest paid defensive end after Crosby ($32.5 million guaranteed salary, $38.2 milion cap number) in 2025. Welcome to the wonderful world of NFL contracts.
