Texans walk away winners in Nico Collins deal following Brandon Aiyuk extension

CeeDee Lamb was the talk of the NFL’s receiver market for all of five minutes before Brandon Aiyuk had to crash the party.

Aiyuk, the San Francisco 49ers star receiver who led fans and media down a wild, rickety goose choose with no end in sight throughout the entire offseason, finally agreed to a long-term deal with the team that drafted him four years ago.

The Pro Bowl pass-catcher signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension that will keep him in San Francisco through the 2028 season. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it’s the same deal that has been on the table from the 49ers since Aug. 12, the day Ayiuk made it clear he was playing elsewhere.

Not to take away from Ayiuk’s payday, but Lamb held Cowboys’ fans in his clutches after not reporting to training camp in Oxnard earlier this month.

A holdout ensued until Jerry Jones finally waved the white flag and granted him a new four-year, $136 million deal that includes a $38 million signing bonus, the largest ever given to a wide receiver, and $100 million guaranteed.

Holdouts. Hostage situations. Trade offers on the table were only a myth by the time pen touched paper.

What a nightmare in Arlington and Santa Clara for two hopeful contending NFC franchises.

For the Houston Texans, a rising AFC organization built to win a conference title in 2024, their star receiver just walked into the building and agreed to his deal with zero complaints.

Amid countless pass-catchers getting paid, Nico Collins agreed to terms on a new three-year, $72.5 million deal that’ll keep him in Houston through 2027. Perhaps he’ll follow the same path as Andre Johnson and spend over a decade as the consistent No. 1 target at NRG Stadium while totaling back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns.

Much like Ayiuk and Lamb, Collins put together a season to remember while helping his quarterback post record-setting numbers en route to a postseason berth. As C.J. Stroud’s go-to target, the third-year 6-foot-4 target totaled a career-high 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and 8 touchdowns.

He joins an elite company as just the third player in franchise history to post 1,200 receiving yards in a single season. Johnson, who just was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is one. Future Canton-bound target DeAndre Hopkins is another.

While Ayiuk and Lamb have constantly produced, no one knows what the future holds. The duo could once again thrive while serving as security blankets for Brock Purdy and Dak Prescott, respectively, while still producing in heavy-targeted offense.

They could also crash and burn while earning over $38 million annually.

Collins, who’ll earn $24 million annually, looks like a bargain buy regardless of his future outlook. As asking prices climb for targets, so does the annual salary.

With Collins locked up for four more years, his annual price will only shrink in time. And by the time he’s up for a new deal, perhaps he’s reached the perennial All-Pro status as those now swimming in sums of cash.

Even if Collins never duplicates his 2023 success, his annual salary will be manageable compared to others. The rest of the league is on notice of the ever-changing resetting market for pass-catchers in an expanded salary cap era.

The 49ers have to see Ayiuk reach similar numbers to his 2023 production justify the contract.

The Cowboys must see Lamb be a 1,500-yard playmaker to warrant his deal.

The Texans need Collins to remain on the field.

Given the trajectory of contracts, Houston might have hauled in the best contract of the offseason surrounding a blend of talent and cost.