Will Anderson Jr. signed a historic three-year $150 million contract extension with the Houston Texans this offseason, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback player in the league.
The big news first arrived last Friday from ESPN’s Adam Schefter and was confirmed today by the Texans. And the All-Pro defensive end shared his emotional reaction to the big news on Tuesday during a press conference.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with joy these past couple of days. Non-stop tears. It’s been a blessing,” he told reporters when asked about how it felt to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
He also shared a story about how he first learned of his contract extension. According to Anderson Jr., he was training in Dallas and took a break when he received a call from his agent, Nicole Lynn, who had an update on his deal and wanted him to call her back as soon as possible.
“My heart dropped. I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ She tells me everything. I literally dropped to my knees, like tears. Got on a flight the same day. I felt bad for the lady sitting next to me; she was probably concerned about me because I was crying the whole flight,” he revealed on Tuesday.
Anderson Jr. also shared at Tuesday’s press conference that he Facetimed his family, and they were all ecstatic about his big news about the contract extension he signed with the Texans.
On continuing to play for the Texans, he said he’s keeping the advice head coach DeMeco Ryans gave him when he first got there: “You don’t have to go be Superman. Just go be the same person you’ve been when we drafted you, when you was at Alabama.”
He said winning is the most important thing on his mind now that the contract is in place. According to Anderson Jr., a major goal for him and the team is to get past the second round of the NFL Playoffs.
After defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL Wild Card Round, they were eliminated by the New England Patriots, 28-16, in the Divisional Round.
And Will Anderson Jr. came up big in that game, leading the team with his three sacks and two forced fumbles. He had a career season with Houston in 2025, with career highs, including 54 total tackles and 12 sacks.
Along with extending Anderson Jr. and quarterback CJ Stroud Jr., the Texans made other significant moves, including signing defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Dominique Robinson, linebacker E.J. Speed, and safety Reed Blankenship.
Next up, they’ll make selections at this week’s NFL Draft, with the first round beginning Thursday and the Texans holding the No. 28 pick.