Texans agree to three-year extension with LB Azeez Al-Shaair
The Cowboys had interest in a trade for Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair before the draft. The Texans had no interest in trading the Pro Bowler, and on Wednesday, the team and Al-Shaair agreed to a three-year extension, NFL Media reports. The Texans previously extended the contracts of defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
, defensive end Danielle Hunter, tight end Dalton Schultz and kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn. Al-Shaair's first Pro Bowl came after he totaled 103 tackles, two interceptions and nine pass breakups in 2025. He wore the green dot for Matt Burke's defense, which ranked No.
1 in total defense and No. 2 in scoring defense last season. Al-Shaair and coach DeMeco Ryans are close, with Al-Shaair and Ryans spending four seasons together in San Francisco.
After spending 2023 in Tennessee, Al-Shaair followed Ryans to Houston in 2024. Al-Shaair was ejected from a game in Week 13 of the 2024 season after a blow to the head of Trevor Lawrence as the Jaguars quarterback was sliding to the ground. The NFL then suspended Al-Shaair for three games for "repeated violations of player safety rules.
" He was the team's nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2025.