Will Anderson Jr., Texans Reportedly Agree to 4-Year, $35.2M Rookie Contract

The Houston Texans have agreed upon on a four-year, $35.2 million contract with edge-rusher and No. 3 overall draft pick Will Anderson Jr., according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The deal is fully guaranteed and includes a $22.6 million signing bonus.

The Texans traded a ton of draft capital to move up from No. 12 to No. 3 with the Arizona Cardinals to select Anderson.

Anderson could be well worth the trade, though. He was nothing short of a superstar at Alabama, racking up 34.5 sacks in 41 career games, including 17.5 takedowns during the 2021 season. During that year, Anderson posted 101 tackles, 31 of which were for a loss.

The B/R NFL Scouting Department ranked him No. 1 overall on its prospect list, giving him a grade of 9.6 on its 10-point scale. B/R NFL scout Matt Holder compared him to four-time All-Pro Khalil Mack.

Anderson's remarkable production made him one of the more elite defensive prospects in recent memory, and Houston clearly saw the opportunity to rebuild its defense around him a la defensive ends Mario Williams in the 2000s or J.J. Watt in the 2010s.

The Texans are under new leadership with ex-Texans star linebacker and former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans now running the show as head coach.

He has a strong foundation to work with after the Texans selected C.J. Stroud as its franchise quarterback at No. 2 before trading up for Anderson to be the backbone of their defense.

Now Anderson is officially locked in for the next four years at minimum, but it's easy to see him becoming a superstar in Houston for a decade or more.