Derek Stingley Jr. just got paid! Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.
The Houston Texans have secured their lockdown corner for the future, agreeing to a three-year, $90 million extension with Derek Stingley Jr., according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal includes a staggering $89 million in guaranteed money, making Stingley one of the highest-paid defensive backs in NFL history.
Record deal: Texans All-Pro CB Derek Stingley Jr has agreed to a three-year, $90 million extension including $89 million guaranteed. At $30M base value per year, Stingley is now the highest paid defensive back in NFL history. The CB market has been completely reset.
Deal… pic.twitter.com/g8nzFFFQvj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2025
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler is reporting that Stingley's extension will kick in after his fifth-year option, which the Texans picked up ahead of the extension. He's now under team control for the next five seasons.
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
Stingley, 23, is coming off a breakout All-Pro season in which he recorded five interceptions (seven if you include the playoffs) and proved to be one of the league’s elite shutdown corners. His performance was instrumental in the Texans' defensive resurgence, solidifying his role as a cornerstone of the franchise.
The only lingering concern for Houston is Stingley’s durability. While he played all 17 regular season games in 2025, it was the first time he managed a full season in the NFL. Injuries limited him to just nine games in 2022 and 11 in 2023. The Texans are banking on his ability to stay on the field, confident that his elite talent outweighs the risks.
With this extension, Houston locks in a defensive playmaker as they continue to build a championship-caliber roster around quarterback C.J. Stroud. If Stingley stays healthy, this investment could pay massive dividends for the Texans' future.
*ChatGPT assisted.
Late home run lifts Astros to dramatic win over Rangers
May 18, 2025, 7:28 pm
Isaac Paredes hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off reliever Robert Garcia in the eighth inning after Texas rookie Jack Leiter lost a no-hit bid in the seventh, and the Houston Astros rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Rangers on Sunday.
ISAAC. PAREDES. LET'S. GO. pic.twitter.com/Nh3cWZ51P1
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 18, 2025
Leiter gave up Yainer Diaz's solo homer with two outs in the seventh as Houston trimmed its deficit to 3-1.
Yainer goes yard! #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/VxlwHikeaY
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 18, 2025
The 25-year-old right-hander was replaced after consecutive soft singles from Jake Meyers and Cam Smith to start the eighth.
Texas reliever Chris Martin came on for Leiter but threw just one pitch before leaving with what the team said was right shoulder discomfort.
Lefty Robert Garcia (1-2) got two outs before Paredes' drive — his seventh homer — barely cleared the wall and the glove of a leaping Wyatt Langford near the foul line in left.
Josh Hader struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 11th save as the Texas rivals split a four-game series.
Houston left-hander Framber Valdez (3-4) opened with three perfect innings in his first meeting with the Rangers since losing a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth on the same mound last August.
The Rangers started the fourth with consecutive singles from Sam Haggerty, Langford and Josh Jung, who drove home Haggerty in a three-run inning for Texas.
Key moment
Jonah Heim hit a deep drive to right-center with two outs and two on in the eighth with Texas trailing by a run, but Meyers ran it down on the warning track.
Key stat
Leiter, the son of retired major league pitcher Al Leiter, pitched into the eighth for the first time in 13 big league starts over two seasons.
Up next
Houston rookie LHP Colton Gordon (0-0, 6.23 ERA) is set for the opener of a series at Tampa Bay on Monday. Texas lefty Patrick Corbin (3-2, 3.35) is set for the opener at the New York Yankees on Tuesday.
