Why veteran player thinks Texans can follow in 49ers' footsteps

Veteran linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair spent the first four seasons of his NFL career playing for the San Francisco 49ers. The team appeared in three NFC Championship Games and lost Super Bowl LIV to the Kansas City Chiefs in February 2020.

After a brief stint with the Tennessee Titans in 2023, Al-Shaair signed with the Texans in March, and he explained on Tuesday why he is confident Houston can match and even better the accomplishments achieved by those San Francisco teams.

"You can see the brotherhood," Al-Shaair said about the Texans, as Jeffri Chadiha of the NFL's website shared. "You can feel it. You can feel it on the field and when you're watching the tape. That's the kind of bond we had in San Francisco, and they continue to have it there. That's why [the 49ers] are playing for championships year after year. You can see the talent around here and the individual guys coming together, because we just needed a couple more pieces. We have everything we need right now."

While a sense of brotherhood undeniably will benefit any team, it doesn't hurt that the Texans seemingly are stacked with talent. Quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. are coming off Rookie of the Year campaigns after they helped the 2023 Texans claim the AFC South division title and earn a wild-card playoff win. Along with Al-Shaair, Houston added other big-name players this offseason, such as star wide receiver Stefon Diggs, defensive end Danielle Hunter and running back Joe Mixon.

Earlier this summer, Texans players spent nine days together in Ohio as they prepared for the Hall of Fame Game against the Chicago Bears on Aug. 1 and for this past Friday's exhibition matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Al-Shaair suggested that what the squad experienced over that time would be a benefit when the Texans face inevitable struggles during the grueling season.

"Having those days off, when we're all just breaking bread and chopping it up for hours with nothing else to do, we were just bonding," Al-Shaair said.

Texans coaches and executives have left little doubt that they understand that the team is no longer flying under the radar. As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Houston fifth among the betting favorites at +850 odds to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIX.

General manager Nick Caserio hopes players who have experienced numerous ups and downs as pros, such as Al-Shaair, will keep the Texans from crumbling under the pressure that will hover over them through the fall months. Al-Shaair sounds ready to accept such a responsibility as he chases the ring that eluded him during his San Francisco tenure.