Collins agreed to terms Tuesday on a three-year, $72.75 million contract extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Collins is coming off a breakout 2023 season in which he piled up a 80-1,297-8 receiving line on 109 targets (15 games), and even with Stefon Diggs in town on a one-year deal, he represents the future for Houston's wide receiver corps, as does second-year pro Tank Dell. While the addition of Diggs crowds the Texans' target distribution, as does the presence of capable pass-catching options like Joe Mixon in the backfield and tight end Dalton Schultz, this significant monetary commitment to Collins provides a bit of extra incentive for offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to allow he and C.J. Stroud to feature the chemistry they demonstrated last season. If Stroud and the Texans can build off 2023 and hit the ground running, Collins promises to find himself as a frontman in one of the league's elite passing offenses.
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Collins agreed to terms Tuesday on a three-year, $72.75 million contract extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Collins is coming off a breakout 2023 season in which he piled up a 80-1,297-8 receiving line on 109 targets (15 games), and even with Stefon Diggs in town on a one-year deal, he represents the future for Houston's wide receiver corps, as does second-year pro Tank Dell. While the addition of Diggs crowds the Texans' target distribution, as does the presence of capable pass-catching options like Joe Mixon in the backfield and tight end Dalton Schultz, this significant monetary commitment to Collins provides a bit of extra incentive for offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to allow he and C.J. Stroud to feature the chemistry they demonstrated last season. If Stroud and the Texans can build off 2023 and hit the ground running, Collins promises to find himself as a frontman in one of the league's elite passing offenses.
The Texans are adding Stefon Diggs to an offense that returns Collins and Tank Dell at wide receiver, ESPN.com reports. C.J. Stroud had one of the best rookie seasons ever by an NFL quarterback and now has arguably the best group of pass catchers in the league. Diggs is coming off six consecutive seasons with at least six TDs and more than 1,000 yards, now joining an offense in which Collins put up 80-1,297-8 on 109 targets (15 games) and Dell had 47-709-7 on 75 targets (11 targets). The Texans also have useful pass catchers at RB and TE with Joe Mixon and Dalton Schultz, creating a scenario that'll make it hard for some (or all) of the players to get as many targets as they might on other teams. On the other hand, Houston's offense has a chance to be one of the most efficient in the league, and adding Diggs could encourage offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to call pass plays at a higher rate than he did last season.
Collins got into the end zone for the second time since Week 4 on a 17-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, which pulled Houston within three points with 5:15 remaining. He has 20 targets in two games since returning from a one-game absence due to a calf injury. Collins leads the Texans in catches (50) and receiving yards (800) heading into a Week 13 home game against the Broncos.
The extent of Collins' practice participation won't be known until the Texans release their first Week 11 injury report later Wednesday, but the wideout is taking a step in the right direction after he was unable to practice in any capacity last week before sitting out Sunday's 30-27 win over the Bengals. Collins leads the Texans this season with 631 receiving yards, but rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud was able to manage just fine without his top receiver in Week 10. Stroud completed 23 of 39 attempts for 356 yards, one touchdown and one interception, with Noah Brown (7-172-0 line on eight targets) stepping up to account for nearly half of the yardage total.
It's difficult to believe Collins accrued only 54 yards and five targets on an afternoon during which C.J. Stroud threw for a rookie-record 470 yards on 42 attempts, but the third-year pro played second fiddle to a number of his pass-catching teammates. Nevertheless, Collins was able to salvage his fantasy day with a 14-yard scoring grab in the first quarter, his fourth touchdown of the season. Collins will look to boost his numbers in a Week 10 road matchup against the Bengals that should serve as another good test for Stroud and the Texans' young offense.
Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud had his worst performance in the NFL, and as a result Collins posted poor numbers despite leading the Texans in catches and targets. The third-year wideout hasn't seen more than six targets in three straight games as the Houston passing attack cools down, but Collins could be more productive in Week 9 against a Buccaneers secondary that came into Sunday having given up the third-most receiving yards in the league to WRs.