The Houston Texans have changed plans with former third-round draft pick and starting quarterback Davis Mills.
“The #Texans converted $3.7M of QB Davis Mills’ salary into signing bonus, adding 4 void years, creating $2.9M of 2026 cap space,” Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti reported in a post on X on October 9, noting the “updated cap hits” on the deal.
- 2026: $5.4M
- 2027: $2.9M (void)
KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson shared a possible explanation for the unexpected decision.
“One reason why #NFL teams restructure deals is to manage injured reserve: those injured players count against the salary cap, as do their replacements,” Wilson posted. “It all adds up.”
The Texans opened the 21-day practice windows for three players currently on injured reserve: wide receiver Tank Dell, Kayden McDonald, and Braden Smith. In addition to financial headroom, the Texans will need to create roster spots when they return.
Mills is immune from that selection process as long as he is healthy for the Texans.
Texans Change Plans With Davis Mills
The Texans selected Mills with the 67th overall pick of the 2021 draft. He started 11 of 15 games played as a rookie, and then logged 15 starts in 15 games in 2022. The Texans drafted C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick in 2023, ending Mills’ tenure as a full-time starter.
Mills has since started three games, all in 2025.
He led the Texans to a 3-0 mark before handing the reins back to Stroud, who was sidelined with a concussion.
Mills has completed 64% of his passes for 6,229 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions in his career as a starter. He is 8-19-1 in those games. With 2024 sixth-round pick Graham Mertz’s season-ending injury, Mills is even more valuable to the Texans.
That could explain why they would add a void year, since they could try to re-sign him in 2027.
He remains a solid QB for head coach DeMeco Ryans. Rookie undrafted free agent Mark Gronowski is the only other QB on the Texans roster, signing back with the team in recent days
Texans Change Plans With Quarterback Before Titans Game