The Houston Texans have received a lot of praise for their approach to free agency, especially the signing of Danielle Hunter, the best pass-rusher on the market.

But things could have gone very different. Just before the weekend, it was revealed that the Colts actually offered Hunter more money, but he opted to join the Texans instead.

While geography likely played a role in his decision, he grew up in Katy, the Texans' ability to quickly turn things around and become a legit contender had to be the deciding factor.

With DeMeco Ryans, CJ Stroud, and Will Anderson leading the team for the foreseeable future, Hunter must have liked his chances better in Houston.

Hunter will be thirty years old this season, so he's starting to run out of time if he wants to win a Super Bowl before he retires. Which explains why he would pick the Texans over the Colts.

The Colts weren't bad last season, and they do have a talented roster with a respected GM and head coach. But the quarterback situation is a bit of an unknown, with rookie Anthony Richardson missing most of the season with a shoulder injury.

In fact, the Colts took some heat for their approach to free agency. They re-signed a lot of their own players, but didn't make splashy moves like the Texans did. Clearly, they were hoping that Hunter would be their big free agent pickup, but he preferred joining the Texans, even if it was for less money.

As a Texans fan, this feels great. The organization was considered arguably the worst franchise in the NFL over the last several seasons. And, now, players not only want to join the team, but they're willing to take less money to come to Houston? Quite the turnaround DeMeco and GM Nick Caserio have pulled off.

A lot can happen in a year.

Be sure to check out the above below as Craig from Sports Talk Extra reacts to the news.