Jalen Pitre: Everything you need to know

Pitre had $9 million of his salary converted into a signing bonus by the Texans on Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports. The restructuring of Pitre's contract adds two void years and creates additional cap space for the Texans ahead of the 2026 season. Pitre is one of Houston's most impactful defenders, recording 74 total tackles and 12 passes defensed, including four interceptions, across just 14 regular-season games while operating as the team's top nickel cornerback last year. The Baylor product is expected to remain a key piece on the Texans' defense, starting alongside Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter.

Pitre had 74 tackles, 12 passes defensed and four interceptions over 14 regular-season games in 2025. Pitre, who played safety his first two seasons in the NFL, enjoyed another strong year as a nickel corner. In some ways, he's the key piece to the NFL's top-ranked defense, because he hits like a linebacker and can cover (88.1 coverage grade). The Texans can roll with a 4-2-5 alignment, as they often did in 2025, while not being vulnerable when offenses go big and try to run the ball on Houston. The team recognized Pitre's value prior to the 2025 season by locking him in for a three-year extension.

Pitre posted seven tackles (six solo) and a defensed pass Sunday in a 23-21 win against the Raiders. Pitre tied for third on the Texans in stops in the narrow victory. After missing three games while in concussion protocol, Pitre has logged every defensive snap for Houston over the past four weeks. He's up to 66 tackles and 11 defensed passes, including four pickoffs, over 12 games this season.