The Houston Texans’ biggest internal free agent this offseason is defensive end Jonathan Greenard. The 26-year-old led the team with a career-high 12.5 sacks and added 22 quarterback hits and 15 tackles for a loss.
Now that he’s a free agent, Greenard could command a sizable new contract on the open market. But, it sounds like he and the Texans could stay together in 2024 and beyond, though. The two sides have a “strong mutual interest” in an extension, sources told KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans spoke highly about Greenard on Tuesday at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. While he wouldn’t say one way or another if Houston planned to offer Greenard an extension, Ryans sounded like someone who would be happy to welcome the defensive end back.
“JG did a good job for us,” Ryans said “He was very productive, his play was physical. He did the things we asked him to do. We’ll see where free agency plays out, but we love JG. We loved what he did for us this year.”
What would a Greenard deal look like? It’s hard to say, but he could see as much as $13 million annually in a new deal on the open market. He could be a franchise tag candidate as well, although that would cost the team $21.3 million guaranteed, per Over The Cap.
The Texans should have around $67 million in salary cap space – certainly enough to keep Greenard – but that decision will fall onto general manager Nick Caserio.