Texans shatter DB market by making Derek Stingley Jr. as NFL’s highest-paid defensive back with $90M deal

Derek Stingley Jr's three-year deal is worth $90 million with $89 million of it guaranteed, and breaks the record set by Jaycee Horn last week.

Texans shatter DB market by making Derek Stingley Jr. as NFL’s highest-paid defensive back with $90M deal

Derek Stingley Jr (Image via Open Source)

The increase in cap space for NFL teams has benefited a lot of players. This free agency has witnessed multiple historic contracts, from Myles Garrett’s remarkable deal to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins’ deals. While these deals broke or set records of their own, another defensive player has made history with his latest deal.

The Houston Texans have extended cornerback Derek Stingley Jr to a three-year contract, which will pay him $30 million per year. Out of this sum, $89 million has been guaranteed and just $1 million will be tied to other incentives as per Ian Rapoport. This makes Stingley Jr the highest-paid defensive back.

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This is the largest contract that a defensive back has received in league history and it confirms one thing. The cornerback market has been reset and the ceiling has gone further up. Stingley Jr’s deal will sting other teams hoping to retain their defensive stars. This means that Jaycee Horn held the title of the highest-paid corner for just under a week.

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The Carolina Panthers had signed Horn to a four-year deal worth $100 million last week but Stingley Jr’s deal as negotiated by David Mulugheta broke that record. The defensive back had the numbers on his side while heading to the negotiating table. He had an All-Pro season with five interceptions, 18 passes broken, and kept his opponents locked up with a completion rate of 46.7%.

The Texans were impressed by what they saw of Stingley Jr. Their third overall pick of the 2022 draft was entrusted to guard wide receivers who are considered to be nightmares amongst cornerbacks. He went toe-to-toe with Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, and D.J. Moore. Whenever he is on the field, the Texans’ defense is at its strongest.

Derek Stingley Jr has become the most reliable option for Houston on defense

He continued his dominance in the postseason as he caught two interceptions and played a key role in the Texans’ Wild Card victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. Stingley Jr has become a reliable corner for the Texans. There is one team that ought to be heaving a sigh of relief the Denver Broncos. They were able to lock in cornerback Patrick Surtain II early on last year by signing him to a four-year, $96 million contract with $77.5 million of the sum guaranteed. At the time they offered this deal to him, fans were skeptical about the numbers with some believing it was too high for him.

Derek Stingley Jr
Derek Stingley Jr (Image via Open Source)

The Broncos offered him the deal at the right moment because had Surtain II been negotiating his deal in the current environment then his asking price would have been significantly higher. The NFL is witnessing a widespread market price reset.

Traditionally, it has just been quarterbacks and wide receivers who have gotten the bigger piece of the pie, however, in recent history, other positions that have historically been paid lesser are receiving more. This is great for defensive players and running backs because they have been the unsung heroes seldom rewarded when it comes to landing contracts.

Myles Garrett snagged a four-year, $160 million deal last week, Milton Williams snagged a four-year, $104 million deal with $63 million guaranteed from the New England Patriots, and the duo of Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase got paid as they both signed a deal for four-years for $161 million and $115 million respectively. Everyone is getting paid and while this is great for players, it makes it as much harder for teams to build an all-star roster or trade for star players due to the cap constraints.