Tag: Houston

Jan 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans place kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn (15) kicks a field goal against the Indianapolis Colts in the second half half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Reports: Texans make Ka’imi Fairbairn NFL’s highest-paid kicker

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Houston Texans are making nine-year veteran Ka’imi Fairbairn the NFL’s highest-paid kicker with a two-year, $13 million contract extension, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.

Fairbairn, 32, would average $6.5 million annually in the new terms through 2028, pushing him ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Harrison Butker at $6.4 million.

Fairbairn appeared in 15 regular-season games in 2025, missing some action with a lower-body injury, and made 44 of 48 field-goal attempts — both league-high totals. He was 9 of 13 from 50-plus yards with a long of 57. He also made all 28 extra-point attempts.

Since signing with Houston as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA in 2016, Fairbairn has made 255 of 291 field-goal attempts (87.6%), including 51 of 69 from 50-plus yards, with a long of 61. He is 268 of 287 (93.4%) on PATs.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ Jake Elliott makes $5 million annually, while the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday placed a one-year tender of $5.76 million on restricted free agent Brandon Aubrey. Other teams can try to sign Aubrey to offer sheets, with the Cowboys having the right to match them.

–Field Level Media

Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) after the game against the New England Patriots in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

Texans GM: QB C.J. Stroud ‘isn’t going anywhere’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio is committed to C.J. Stroud and finds trade speculation online to be “moronic” going into the quarterback’s fourth season.

“He’s our quarterback. He isn’t going anywhere. We have a lot of confidence, a lot of belief,” Caserio said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday in Indianapolis. “I’m glad he’s our quarterback.”

In his third season, Stroud started 14 games and the team went 9-5 as he completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He missed three games because of a concussion sustained in Week 9.

His struggles in two playoff games, throwing five interceptions — including four in a loss the New England Patriots — and fumbling five times (losing two) in an earlier wild-card win over Pittsburgh, gave seed to online trade talk.

“This league is about ups and downs,” Caserio said. “Nothing’s perfect. There was no team that was undefeated unless I missed something this year, that’s not going to happen. By and large, we’re probably going to lose five or six games. There’s going to be some margin on either side. You’re going to have some good plays. You’re going to have some bad plays. You’re going to have some good games. You’re going to have some bad games.

“How do you bounce back? How do you handle that? This league is a one-game-at-a-time proposition,” he continued “How you handle every situation ultimately is going to determine your success and your longevity. No lost confidence.”

For his career, Stroud has completed 63.8% of his passes for 10,876 yards and 62 TDs with 25 interceptions in 46 regular-season games (all starts) with a record of 28-18. His rookie campaign of 4,108 yards, 23 TDs to five picks in 15 games earned him Pro Bowl and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2023.

Houston selected Stroud second overall in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.

–Field Level Media

Conner Weigman (4 TDs), No. 21 Houston top LSU in Texas Bowl

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Conner Weigman set a program bowl record with four touchdown passes, leading No. 21 Houston to a 38-35 victory over LSU in the Texas Bowl in Houston on Saturday evening.

After Houston took the lead on a 25-yard Ethan Sanchez field goal with 7:42 left, the Cougars (10-3) extended the margin to 38-28 on Dean Connors’ 20-yard touchdown run with 2:23 left.

LSU (7-6) responded with a 3-yard scoring run by Zavion Thomas but failed to recover the onside kick, allowing Houston to run out the clock.

Weigman, who earned MVP honors, completed 27 of 36 passes for 236 yards in his first game without an interception since Oct. 25 for Houston, which won its third straight bowl game since the 2021 season.

“We wanted to end the season the right way, send the seniors off right,” Weigman said. “The brotherhood we’ve built over these past seven, eight months, it means the world to me, I know it means the world to my teammates. I’m so proud of these guys. I love this team.”

Amare Thomas caught the Cougars’ first two touchdowns, finishing with seven catches for 66 yards. Tanner Koziol racked up a game-high nine catches for 76 yards and a TD, and Dean Connors had 126 rushing yards and a score on 16 carries.

Michael Van Buren Jr. was 16-of-26 passing with a season-high 267 yards and three touchdowns for the Tigers, who had their three-game bowl winning streak snapped (2022-24).

Trey’Dez Green finished with four catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns — his second career multi-TD game, both of which have come in the Texas Bowl — and Kyle Parker had seven catches for 68 yards and a score.

LSU jumped out to a 14-0 lead 4:12 into the game on just four offensive plays. Barion Brown returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, extending his SEC record with his sixth career kick-return score. It was the first time LSU returned an opening kickoff for a touchdown since 1978.

After a Houston punt, the Tigers quickly added their lead with a 23-yard pass from Van Buren to Green.

The Cougars responded with a 14-0 run of their own behind two Thomas touchdown catches. Weigman found the junior receiver on an 8-yard score midway through the first and a 4-yard TD early in the second.

Houston took a 21-14 lead into halftime after an 11-play, 90-yard two-minute drill ended with Weigman’s third TD pass of the first half to Koziol with 4 seconds left.

Green leveled the score on LSU’s first second-half drive with a leaping one-handed grab in the end zone with 9:31 left in the third.

Houston took the lead on its ensuing drive with a 2-yard touchdown grab by Traville Frederick Jr. with 4:42 left in the third. The lead again didn’t last, with Van Buren finding Parker for a 6-yard score on the first play of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 28.

“We just kept fighting and persevering,” Cougars coach Willie Fritz said. “I thought we played in all three phases at times. The offense controlled the ball for the most part, and when we needed big plays, the defense did it. Total team effort.”

–Field Level Media

No. 21 Houston rising, LSU regrouping ahead of Texas Bowl

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LSU and No. 21 Houston enter the Texas Bowl from vastly different positions.

The Tigers (7-5) are going through a head-coaching transition, adjusting to opt-outs from key players and finishing out a disappointing season.

The Cougars (9-3) are building stability in head coach Willie Fritz’s second season, have virtually no opt-outs and are excited to be finishing their season in their home city Saturday night.

LSU began the season with dreams of reaching the CFP and were ranked as high as No. 3, but three losses in four games led to the firing of head coach Brian Kelly in midseason.

The Tigers recently lured Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss to succeed Kelly, but Kiffin won’t be coaching in the bowl game. He’s busy working on next season while interim head coach Frank Wilson finishes his stint before beginning a new job as an assistant at Ole Miss.

“The priority is our current football team,” Wilson said. “There’s a 2025 team that I’ve been a part of from the beginning that has one more game to finish.”

Wilson said he expects to have “the lion’s share” of players available although key players including quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, consensus All-America cornerback Mansoor Delane, star linebackers Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins as well as starting wide receiver Aaron Anderson have opted out.

Despite the absences for the finale, Wilson said the Tigers never considered not playing in a bowl and that he has high expectations for the players who will participate.

“It’s important to finish what we started the right way,” Wilson said. “I think any time you put our brand on the field it garners excitement. I think any time you wear that helmet there’s an expectation and standard of going out and playing with high enthusiasm and fierce effort. I think you’ll get that from our football team.”

LSU will be counting on quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. to lead the way. Van Buren started the final three games of the regular season while Nussmeier was injured and completed 62.4% of his passes for 743 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions in 2025.

The Tigers’ offense will be tested by a Houston defense led by Carlos Allen Jr., who leads FBS interior linemen with 75 tackles.

Van Buren’s counterpart Conner Weigman has 21 passing touchdowns, 11 rushing scores and nine interceptions while completing 64% of his passes.

Fritz said he and his staff “realize there will be a lot going on in January” when the transfer portal opens, but for now “we have everybody available for this game. We’re “pretty darn healthy.”

The Cougars were the only FBS team to go 6-0 in road games during the regular season, but they won’t have to travel as they seek their first 10-win campaign since 2021.

“There aren’t many teams in the country that get double-digit wins,” Fritz said. “That’s always a goal for every team. We just want to finish what we’ve started with this football team.”

–Field Level Media

Reports: Texans DE Tim Settle Jr. (foot) to have season-ending surgery

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Houston Texans defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr., a starter on the NFL’s top-ranked defense, will have season-ending foot surgery, according to multiple reports on Thursday afternoon.

Settle, 28, was injured during the Texans’ 20-16 victory over the host Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but it’s not clear when the injury happened. The Houston Chronicle reported that Settle appeared to limp off the field with 4:40 left in regulation after calling to the sideline for a replacement.

“Sad news, Tim was playing really good football for us and was having a really good season,” defensive coordinator Matt Burke said afterward, per the Chronicle. “Hurting for him and what he’s going through.

“We’ll have guys step up to replace him. But he was playing really good football for us.”

Settle has started all 12 of the Texans’ games and has 15 tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss and three passes defensed. Houston (7-5) has the league’s No. 1 defense, allowing 265.7 yards and 16.5 points per game.

Tommy Togiai, 26, is listed behind Settle on the depth chart. Togiai has 31 tackles, one-half sack and four tackles for loss in 10 games (one start) this season.

Washington selected Settle in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech.

For his career, Settle has 133 tackles, 15 sacks, 30 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries in 124 regular-season games (29 starts) for Washington (2018-21), the Buffalo Bills (2022-23) and Houston (2024-present).

–Field Level Media

Houston survives late comeback to win 9th game vs. Baylor

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Dean Connors scored the deciding touchdown on a 1-yard run in the final minutes and Connor Weigman amassed 322 yards and accounted for three TDs as Houston outslugged Baylor 31-24 on Saturday afternoon in a Big 12 dustup in Waco, Texas.

Baylor roared back from 15 points down to tie the game at 24 with 8:53 to play. But the Cougars (9-3, 6-3 Big 12) responded, fashioning a 15-play, 74-yard march that chewed up nearly seven minutes and ended with Connors’ 1-yard scoring plunge with 1:57 left.

The Bears (5-7, 3-6) drove to the Cougars 13 before Houston’s defense stiffened, forcing four straight incompletions to secure the victory.

Weigman passed for 201 yards and a touchdown and ran for a career-best 121 yards and two scores for the Cougars. Houston had already wrapped up its first bowl since 2022 and secured its second nine-win campaign since 2016.

Sawyer Robertson threw for 309 yards, a touchdown and an interception for Baylor. Kobe Prentice led the Bears, who failed to get bowl eligible for the second time in three years, with 96 receiving yards.

The Cougars got on the board on their first possession of the game as Weigman hit Amare Thomas with a 27-yard TD pass midway through the first quarter. Thomas finished with a game-high 97 yards on nine catches.

Houston added to the lead when Weigman got loose for a 28-yard scoring run early in the second quarter.

Baylor’s Kole Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the Houston 37. Three incomplete passes later, Connor Hawkins booted a 54-yard field goal to get the Bears on the board. Hawkins added another field goal, this time from 34 yards out at the end of a 12-play, 46-yard march, to make it 14-6 with 6:22 to play before halftime.

Houston’s Ethan Sanchez nailed a 29-yard FG with 1:40 remaining in the second, but Hawkins answered with a 30-yarder with 15 seconds left to make it 17-9 at the half.

Weigman’s 1-yard dive at the 4:58 mark of the third quarter expanded Houston’s lead to 24-9.

But Baylor roared back, getting a 1-yard TD run from Joseph Dodds nearly three minutes into the fourth quarter which was followed by a 2-point conversion run by Robertson.

After the Bears stopped Houston on fourth-and-2 at the Cougars 44, they took just five plays to tie the game via a 31-yard TD pass from Robertson to Josh Cameron.

–Field Level Media

Houston, Baylor focus on different scenarios

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Houston and Baylor will have different mindsets when they square off on Saturday afternoon in their Big 12 Conference regular-season finale in Waco, Texas.

Neither the Cougars (8-3, 5-3) nor the Bears (5-6, 3-5) can play for the league championship, but Houston already has wrapped up bowl eligibility for the first time since 2022. Baylor must win to assure itself of a chance for its fourth bowl game in five seasons.

The Cougars fell 17-14 at home to TCU on Saturday despite forcing four turnovers. Then-No. 23 Houston missed two field goals late in the game, including a 38-yarder in the final minute that would have tied the score.

Houston quarterback Conner Weigman passed for 161 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 114 yards in the loss but also threw an interception in the end zone late in the first half.

The Cougars have dropped two of their past three games to fall out of the running for the Big 12 title. Houston has won all five of its road games this season.

“I don’t think there’s any set answer (why we play so well on the road),” Houston coach Willie Fritz said Monday. “Sometimes you play tough teams at home as well, which we have.”

The Bears, meanwhile, have dropped two straight games to put themselves in danger of missing a bowl game.

“The team is in a good place, and they know what this week means,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “We know it’s gonna be a four-quarter fight to get a win. And so (we’re) ready to give it everything we got. (The goal is) very much to align with wanting to win and wanting to get something out of each day and to go 1-0 each day.”

Baylor’s most recent outing was a 41-17 loss at Arizona on Saturday in a game in which the Bears’ Sawyer Robertson threw for 162 passing yards and a TD, with two interceptions, and also had a rushing score.

Robertson leads the Big 12 in passing yards with 3,372 and ranks fourth nationally in that category.

–Field Level Media

Texans QB C.J. Stroud (concussion) participates fully at practice

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The Houston Texans got promising news on Wednesday as quarterback C.J. Stroud was a full participant at practice after missing the last three games because of a concussion.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Stroud remains in concussion protocol and will start Sunday’s game at AFC Central-leading Indianapolis (8-3) if he clears.

“C.J. (Stroud) has been our starter when he’s out there,” Ryans said. “He’s played well for us. He’s done some really nice things when it comes to delivering the football where it needs to be. He’s one of the best in the league at doing that. So, we’re hoping that he gets back, so he can get out there and help us.”

Stroud, 24, practiced just once last week — and it was in a limited capacity on Thursday. He sustained the concussion in Houston’s 18-15 loss to the Denver Broncos on Nov. 2. In his absence, Davis Mills has led the Texans (6-5) to three wins in as many starts to bring the team back into playoff contention after an 0-3 start.

Houston is one game behind the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, the teams who currently hold the AFC wild-card spots with 7-4 records.

Stroud has 1,702 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in eight starts this season. Mills has completed 58.7% of his passes for 879 yards, five touchdowns and one interception in five games (three starts) this season.

Safety Jalen Pitre, who also is in concussion protocol, was limited at practice Wednesday, as was offensive tackle Trent Brown (hand).

Offensive tackle Blake Fisher (illness), linebacker Jamal Hill (hamstring), cornerback Ajani Carter (hamstring) and defensive end Denico Autry (knee) did not practice.

–Field Level Media

TCU capitalizes on miscues, upsets No. 23 Houston

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Josh Hoover passed for 293 yards and two touchdowns and visiting TCU overcame four turnovers to upset No. 23 Houston 17-14 on Saturday.

TCU (7-4, 4-4 Big 12) survived after Houston kicker Ethan Sanchez missed a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter, including a 38-yard attempt he pushed wide left with 46 seconds remaining. The Horned Frogs snapped a 14-14 deadlock with 11:21 left when Nate McCashland nailed a 29-yard field goal after Jordan Dwyer returned a punt 53 yards to the Houston 29.

Hoover tossed three interceptions and the Horned Frogs had two touchdowns negated by penalties. Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman passed for 161 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 114 yards, but Julius Simms picked off Weigman’s fourth-down pass late in the first half in the end zone to preserve the Horned Frogs’ 14-7 halftime lead.

Houston (8-3, 5-3) responded to the McCashland field goal by pushing deep into TCU territory only for Sanchez to leave a 49-yard kick short. After Houston’s Latreveon McCutchin made a fourth-down stop at the Cougars’ 5-yard line, Weigman found Amare Thomas for a 23-yard gain before scrambling for 38 yards to set the table for Sanchez, who missed again.

TCU enjoyed a rousing start, particularly Hoover. The Horned Frogs covered 75 yards in eight plays on their opening possession, a march capped by a 33-yard scoring pass from Hoover to Eric McAlister at the 11:20 mark of the opening period. Hoover went 5-for-5 on that drive.

The Horned Frogs extended to a 14-0 lead later in the first when Hoover moved the chains with passes of 26, 17 and 11 yards, the latter two connections involving Joseph Manjack IV. On the 10th play of that drive, Hoover hit Dwyer for a 17-yard scoring strike with 1:45 left in the opening quarter.

Hoover was 12-for-14 passing with 148 yards and two touchdowns entering the second quarter. The Horned Frogs amassed 176 yards and averaged 8.4 yards per play in the first period but the avalanche of turnovers and penalties enabled Houston to work its way back into contention.

–Field Level Media

Strong defensive effort leads Houston to tight win over UCF

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Ethan Sanchez kicked a tiebreaking 22-yard field goal with 2:31 left and the Houston defense allowed just three second-half points as the Cougars came from 10 points down to defeat UCF 30-27 on Friday in Orlando.

Conner Weigman, despite throwing three interceptions, helped Houston (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) rebound after a rough loss to West Virginia a week ago. The quarterback produced 223 yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-31 passing and added 82 yards on 22 carries. Amare Thomas had five receptions for 103 yards and a TD.

Sanchez’s game-winner came on a 15-play, 62-yard drive that lasted 7:51.

Phillip Dunnam nabbed all three interceptions of Weigman to become the first player in school history to pick off three passes in one game.

UCF (4-5, 1-5) had four of its six second-half drives end in punts, and not a single one went more than 28 yards.

Knights quarterback Tayven Jackson completed 15 of his 29 passes but for only 136 yards and an interception.

Jackson was benched on the final drive of the game for Davi Belfort, who had a pass intercepted by Kentrell Webb in the end zone with 11 seconds left, sealing the outcome.

Houston’s Dean Connors scored the lone touchdown of the second half on a 9-yard pass from Weigman to tie the game 24-24 with 7:38 left in the third.

The teams then traded field goals, a 54-yarder from Noe Ruelas and a 30-yarder from Sanchez, before the eventual game-winner.

Ruelas kicked off the scoring with a 37-yard field goal with 4:17 left in the first.

Myles Montgomery capitalized off of a Houston muffed punt with a 1-yard run to extend the lead to 10-0 with 9:39 left in the half.

Weigman found his favorite target streaking down the sideline, and Thomas went untouched into the end zone for a 64-yard score to cut it to 10-7 in the middle of the second quarter.

Just 1:16 later, Houston struck again as Latreveon McCutchin picked off a Jackson pass and returned it 45 yards for the Cougars’ first lead of the night.

UCF responded with Jaden Nixon rushing 15 yards for a 17-14 lead with 2:05 remaining in the half.

Weigman then threw his own pick-six as Dunnam returned it 43 yards to extend the lead to 10 with 96 seconds left before the break.

Houston salvaged a 40-yard field goal with no time left to cut the deficit to 24-17 at the half.

–Field Level Media