Jalen Pitre Contract Valuation
Creating a contract valuation for Defensive Back Jalen Pitre with the Houston Texans
Tap tap tap…is this thing on? Hey we are back on Cap & Trade! Sorry for the extended absence. NFL Free Agency occupies the bulk of my free time, assisting Jason Fitzgerald at Overthecap.com with contract data.
Jalen Pitre is the topic of today’s newsletter!
Jalen Pitre, the safety, the nickel cornerback, the “star” defender, the third linebacker, what can’t he do? He’s Roy Kent! (Sorry, the wife and I just finished a re-watch of Ted Lasso.)
Jalen Pitre is a defensive back for the Houston Texans, drafted in the 2nd round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and is eligible for a contract extension. Should the Houston Texans do it? Let’s discuss.
As always, my valuations are strictly just that. And should not be considered a vote of confidence for or against the player.
The tricky part is how a team generates a valuation for a player who has played multiple positions. Do you look at the safety market, the slot cornerback market, or the linebacker market…maybe all of it?
The top 10, by APY, at each position group varies greatly. A top-10 linebacker would earn $11.0 million per year, the same as a safety would earn $14.5 million per year. The slot cornerback is a mess, depending on how you view Deommodore Lenoir, who signed a contract this past season, valued at $17.96 million per year. The group has a big drop off to Nate Hobbs with a contract value of $12.0 million.
The salary cap has exploded for 2025 and is set to continually increase at a steady pace for the future. The free agency period for 2025 has shown us that teams are willing to spend on non-top-tier players.
So many factors to capture here.
One thing is true: the slot cornerback market is desperately due for a market adjustment. There are two players in a position to reset the slot cornerback market. Defensive backs Jalen Pitre (Houston) and Kyler Gordon (Chicago). I would not expect a major reset by either player.
Key to Houston’s Secondary
Make no mistake, Pitre is the glue to the Houston secondary. Yes, their pass rush is great, yes, Stingley and Lassiter create a formidable duo on the boundary, but Pitre is the missing piece between the hash marks. The team loves him.
After two years as a middle-of-the-field safety, head coach Demeco Ryans moved Pitre down into the box, leveraging his skill set and play mentality.
Film
Jalen Pitre has no issues with aggressive tackling. Here we see Pitre drop into short zone coverage with his eyes forward on the QB and tight end—quick response.
Here we see Pitre with early recognition of the flat route, forcing a tackle short of the sticks to put Green Bay in a third and short situation on the wrong side of the field.
Jalen Pitre can also work down inside the box. New England is a tight formation attempting an RPO with Maye, and Pitre does not hesitate shooting the gap for a tackle for loss. Houston had full contain on this play with Will Anderson turning his tackle to contain the edge.
Chicago presenting a trips left bunch to run a screenplay. Pitre works his way through the boundary blockers, keeping his shoulders square to force the tackle for no gain with Will Anderson. Pitre did his job here taking the outside shoulder of his blocker and forcing the receiver back to the middle of the field. Pitre may not have made the initial tackle, but his actions led to the stop. Details matter.
Pitre is working as the play side slot corner here expecting a short dig route. Pitre has his eyes on Richardson and jumps the route perfectly.
Contract Proposal
The Nate Hobbs contract is a solid starting point for Jalen Pitre. Pitre’s versatility across multiple positions, coupled with his high snap percentage players should provide an avenue to a stronger contract.
Pitre is set to earn $3.656 million for 2025 in the final year of his rookie contract. This amount reflects the salary increase earned, from $1.926 million, through the Proven Performance Escalator program as part of Article 7 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
My valuation of Jalen Pitre’s contract extension comes in at a two year extension worth $27.00 million in new money and a three year contract worth $30.656 million in total value.
Pitre would earn $20.106 million in total guarantee protection, with $16.45 million as new guarantees. This would include a $10.0 million signing bonus, and guaranteed salaries in 2025 and 2026. An additional $1.0 million would be available for earning Pro Bowl nominations ($500,000 per year, 2026-2027).
Summary
Jalen Pitre is eligible for a contract extension? Yes. Is he a safety, a slot cornerback, or a linebacker? Yes.
Is Pitre a core component of this roster now and for the future? Depends on who you ask.
Is Pitre worthy of this contract valuation? Yes absolutely, Pitre would see this number, plus some, on the open market in 2026.
These are questions that Houston will have to answer internally before making a decision.
If the team opts to move forward with an extension, this is where I would start (from either side of the table).
Assume Texans reach contract agreement with Pitre, How much cap space would Texans still have to pay their rookie class, or other players?