Houston Texans and Tommy Townsend have agreed on a two-year deal
TEXANS NEWS
12 March 2024
The Texans addressed the punter position. Photo by Bob Levey/ Getty Images.
The Houston Texans and punter Tommy Townsend have agreed on a two-year, $6 million deal, a person familiar with the contract told The Associated Press on Monday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal isn’t finalized. Townsend, a 2022 All-Pro, is leaving the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs after four seasons.
His departure leaves Matt Araiza as the lone punter on Kansas City’s roster. Araiza signed with the Chiefs last month. He was dropped from a lawsuit in December that had been filed by a woman who alleged she was raped by San Diego State football players in 2021.
The accusation against Araiza led the Buffalo Bills to release him shortly after selecting him in the NFL draft. Prosecutors later declined to file criminal charges against him after concluding that he wasn't present at the party when the alleged rape could have occurred.
Townsend averaged 47.1 yards per punt in 2023 with a net average of 41.9.
Coach Ime Udoka has agreed to a contract extension with the Houston Rockets, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been announced. No details on the terms of the contract were available.
The move comes after Udoka led the Rockets to the second-best record in the Western Conference this season and their first playoff berth since the 2019-20 season. Houston made a remarkable turnaround in his two seasons in charge after being among the worst teams in the NBA the three seasons before his hiring.
The Rockets, who won just 42 games combined in the two seasons before Udoka was hired, went 41-41 in his first season before going 52-30 this season for their first winning record since 2019-20. Houston lost to the Golden State Warriors in seven games in the first round of the playoffs this season.
Udoka led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals in 2022, then was suspended for the following season after the disclosure of an inappropriate relationship with a female Celtics employee.
The 47-year-old was hired in April 2023 to replace Stephen Silas, who was fired after three losing seasons.
ESPN was first to report the contract extension.
