Azeez-Al Shaair was always going to be strapping it up with the Houston Texans beyond 2026.
According to reports, the Texans and Pro Bowl linebacker have agreed to a new three-year extension, keeping him in Houston through the 2029 season. Al-Shaair was entering the final year of his three-year, $33 million extension signed back in 2024.
As the heart and quote-driven leader of the NFL’s top-ranked defense, Al-Shaair was a staple of the Texans' turnaround under DeMeco Ryans since arriving from Tennessee. Last season, he earned his first Pro Bowl nod after leading the franchise with 103 tackles.
Al-Shaair, a former undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic, turned into a full-time starter with the San Francisco 49ers under Ryans, also recorded a career-high eight pass breakups, two quarterback hits, one tackle for a loss, one interception and one fumble recovery.
As the man up the middle, Al-Shaair has been in charge of calling the defensive plays under coordinator Matt Burke, wearing the "green dot" on his helmet. With him up the middle, the Texans not only helped opponents to under 18 points per game, but the 277.2 yards per game marker was the lowest in the league, surpassing the fellow top-ranked Denver Broncos.
Houston also finished with 47 sacks, which ranked among the top 10 of all teams.
Social media seemed welcoming to the news, here were some of the best reactions to the deal.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Social media reacts to Texans recent extension of Pro Bowl LB Azeez Al-Shaair
