April 11 (UPI) — The Houston Texans agreed to a three-year, $39 million extension with safety Jalen Pitre, sources familiar with the deal told UPI on Friday.
Pitre’s pact, which includes $29.1 million guaranteed, can reach a maximum value of $42.6 million. The three-year veteran is set to become the league’s highest-paid nickelback.
Pitre, 25, was to become a free agent next off-season. The second-round pick by the Texans in the 2022 NFL Draft totaled 296 combined tackles, including 201 solo takedowns, over his first three seasons.
Pitre also logged 21 passes defensed, 17 tackles for a loss, six interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a sack over the first 44 appearances of his NFL career.
The Texans’ primary nickelback totaled a career-high 147 combined tackles, eight passes defensed, five interceptions, five tackles for a loss, a fumble recovery and a sack over 17 starts as a rookie.
He totaled 65 combined tackles, eight passes defensed, six tackles for a loss, an interception and a forced fumble over 12 starts last season. He missed the final five games of the season because of a pectoral injury.
Pitre received the No. 15 defensive rating among safeties who were in for at least 50% of 1,216 snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. He also ranked No. 15 in coverage among safeties in 2024. Pitre was the No. 48 safety in 2023 and No. 57 safety in 2022.
