Texans sign tight end Dalton Schultz to a three-year, $36 million contract
The Houston Texans have signed Dalton Schultz to a long-term contract ahead of the free agency period.
Dalton Schultz is not leaving the Lone Star State.
The Houston Texans and Schultz have reached an agreement on a three-year, $36 million contract, a source familiar with the issue revealed to TexansDaily.com Tuesday afternoon. Schultz will receive $12 million every year until the 2026 season. Of the $36 million, $23.5 million is guaranteed.
The news was initially reported by NFL Network.
Schultz, who signed a one-year contract last summer after spending five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, was a consistent downfield target for Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud. He caught 59 passes.
His most memorable moment of the season occurred in the AFC Wild Card round against the Cleveland Browns, when his 37-yard touchdown grab helped Stroud become the fourth rookie in league history to pass for 200-plus yards and three touchdowns in a playoff game.
Schultz was dominant in Week 9’s comeback win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, hauling 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown, his only 100-yard performance of the season. Sources told Texans Daily last week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis that Schultz is expected to return for another season. He wanted to be a reliable weapon for Stroud and excelled as a receiving threat in Bobby Slowik’s scheme.
“Dalton did a really nice job for us in the passing game. When we were in those two-minute drives where we were able to win a few games, Dalton really showed up,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said last week in Indianapolis. “Situational football.” Third down. “He showed up and made big catches for us.”
Everything, however, would come down to pricing. According to sources, if a long-term agreement is not struck by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, Houston may deploy the franchise tag to pay him $11.3 million for the 2024 season.
“We’ll see what happens with Dalton in free agency, but I’m very proud of what he did for us last year,” Ryans said.
Schultz, 27, was expected to fetch a high price in a lesser tight end free agency class. Hunter Henry of the Patriots, Noah Fant of Seattle, and Gerald Everett of Los Angeles are among the other best prospects on the market.
One insider told Texans Daily this week that, while the tight end class is talented, there will be a drop-off after Georgia’s Brock Bowers and Texas’ Ja’tavion Sanders.
Stroud now has a long-term tight end to pair with Tank Dell and Nico Collins. The Texans appear to be the AFC South’s frontrunners, thanks to a breakthrough passing offense that ranked eighth in total yards.
Free agency in Houston will begin on March 13.
