Taking a look at the top 10 Houston Texans under contract in 2026, NFL salary cap projections and the team’s highest-paid players.
Since the hiring of DeMeco Ryans and their infamous 2023 NFL Draft class, one of the most exciting teams over the past few years has been the Houston Texans. Although Houston still has yet to make a splash in the postseason, they came close this year, nearly upsetting the AFC Champions in the New England Patriots. The Texans will feel they are just a few pieces away from a spot in the Super Bowl and will likely make a few moves to try to make that happen.
Below, we will take a look at the 10 best players that the Houston Texans still have under contract for next season. We will also look at NFL salary cap projections and the top cap hits on the team in 2026.
10 Best Houston Texans Under Contract in 2026
These are the 10 best players the Houston Texans still have under contract for the 2026 season, in the order of their current salary cap hit. For those of you who are wondering, this list is sorted to show their best players overall, not just the players that earn the most money in their contracts.
- Nico Collins, WR ($27.7M)
- Derek Stingley Jr., CB ($27.1M)
- Azeez Al-Shaair, LB ($15.2M)
- C.J. Stroud, QB ($11.5M)
- Will Anderson, EDGE ($11.2M)
- Joe Mixon, RB ($10M)
- Jayden Higgins, WR ($2.6M)
- Kamari Lassiter, CB ($2.4M)
- Tank Dell, WR ($1.8M)
- Woody Marks, RB ($1.2M)
Highest Houston Texans Cap Hits in 2026
As things stand today, here is a list of the 10 highest player hits against the Houston Texans’ salary cap in 2026. Contracts can and will be manipulated and players can be cut or traded as well. In the event of a release, we list a player’s dead cap which is how much money they would count agains the cap if they are cut from the team.
- EDGE Danielle Hunter, $31.3M ($45.1M dead cap)
- T Tytus Howard, $27.9M ($23.6M)
- WR Nico Collins, $27.7M ($18.3M)
- CB Derek Stingley Jr., $27.1M ($41.6M)
- TE Dalton Schultz, $15.9M ($10.3M)
- LB Azeez Al-Shaair, $15.2M ($12.9M)
- CB Jalen Pitre, $11.9M ($16.5M)
- QB C.J. Stroud, $11.5M ($11.5M)
- EDGE Will Anderson, $11.2M ($11.2M)
- RB Joe Mixon, $10M ($2M)
NFL Salary Cap Projections 2026
The league has informed teams that the 2026 NFL salary cap will be between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team. Below, we will assume a salary cap of $303.45 million, using data from Spotrac.
| Rk | TM | Current Players | Cap Space | Dead Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEN | 52 | $97,776,638 | $5,135,657 |
| 2 | LV | 49 | $87,821,212 | $35,238,302 |
| 3 | LAC | 52 | $82,100,325 | $478,183 |
| 4 | NYJ | 51 | $78,990,889 | $88,996,619 |
| 5 | WAS | 52 | $66,506,531 | $12,592,731 |
| 6 | SEA | 57 | $63,421,971 | $483,724 |
| 7 | CIN | 63 | $52,675,496 | $11,248,222 |
| 8 | PIT | 60 | $44,768,173 | $7,934,338 |
| 9 | LAR | 53 | $44,390,412 | $8,570,436 |
| 10 | IND | 60 | $34,952,488 | $2,093,644 |
| 11 | NE | 64 | $34,800,699 | $20,364,345 |
| 12 | ARI | 59 | $32,813,790 | $14,951,854 |
| 13 | ATL | 50 | $26,181,296 | $4,660,354 |
| 14 | DEN | 55 | $26,033,090 | $1,218,922 |
| 15 | BAL | 48 | $22,673,001 | $12,262,715 |
| 16 | SF | 59 | $22,453,414 | $36,327,740 |
| 17 | TB | 52 | $14,479,885 | $253,922 |
| 18 | CAR | 54 | $9,875,093 | $14,607,844 |
| 19 | NYG | 58 | $7,030,099 | $216,988 |
| 20 | PHI | 56 | $3,679,036 | $53,387,574 |
| 21 | MIA | 52 | -$3,699,267 | $73,949,385 |
| 22 | GB | 66 | -$4,344,831 | $17,171,715 |
| 23 | HOU | 54 | -$8,042,142 | $39,318,780 |
| 24 | DET | 49 | -$9,151,960 | $9,287,290 |
| 25 | CHI | 53 | -$9,503,349 | $917,995 |
| 26 | JAX | 61 | -$12,074,552 | $50,977,118 |
| 27 | KC | 54 | -$14,403,869 | $215,642 |
| 28 | BUF | 59 | -$15,187,073 | $30,093,166 |
| 29 | CLE | 55 | -$19,541,898 | $39,763,849 |
| 30 | DAL | 54 | -$25,890,723 | $24,344,178 |
| 31 | MIN | 54 | -$40,632,414 | $5,608,074 |
| 32 | NO | 66 | -$41,774,364 | $90,590,412 |
