The number three overall pick is officially under contract
The Houston Texans were all in on draft night when they made one of the biggest trades in the history of the NFL draft. They selected C.J. Stroud number two overall and traded a ton to move up to number three to select defensive end Will Anderson. So, it makes perfect sense that the Texans would go all in again by giving Anderson a fully guaranteed four year contract with a fifth year option.
The #Texans signed No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. to a fully guaranteed four-year, $35,212,818 million deal with a fifth-year option, per source.
Anderson gets a $22,609,320 signing bonus as part of the deal, which was negotiated by Nicole Lynn of @KlutchSports. pic.twitter.com/T0nJzRj1yl
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 23, 2023
In reality, the drama behind the negotiations are minimal. The collective bargaining agreement has pretty clearly defined what draft picks will earn over four and five seasons (in the case of first rounders). The only drama involves certain language that allows teams a little bit of wiggle room on these deals. The fact that the Texans are giving him every dime he could possibly get isn’t earth-shattering, but it isn’t insignificant either.
This leaves C.J. Stroud as the last of the draft picks to be unsigned. Given the way these negotiations went, you would have to believe that they’re pretty close to getting a deal done. Once that happens then there won’t be much else for the Texans in advance of training camp. What do you think of the deal? Are you excited to see Will Anderson out there on defense? Let’s hear from you in the comments.