Offseason Decisions For the Houston Texans Offensive Line
Hey everyone, TC here,
With the Houston Texans losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional playoff round, I can now shift into offseason mode.
While in offseason mode (for my new subscribers), I spread my view across the league. However, today’s post is strictly about the Houston Texans.
Offensive Line Decisions
General Manager Nick Caserio and Head Coach Demeco Ryans have two critical decisions to start the offseason, specific to the current offensive line group. The decision lies with veterans Shaq Mason (RG) and Tytus Howard (RT/LG).
Shaq Mason
Shaq Mason, who will turn 32 in August, will be the first decision. Mason is due $10.55 million in cash for 2025 and is scheduled to start the league year with a $14.60 million salary cap charge.
After completing a basic contract restructure in 2024, Mason’s contract currently has $12.482 million in associated dead money.
Mason’s performance has seen a steady decline since 2021, with a large drop-off in the 2024 season. Mason’s performance in the divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs is a culmination of that performance decline.
Mason surrendered 36 pressures including a career high 8 sacks per PFF charting. Per SIS charting, Mason’s blown block percentage has increased from 2023 to 2024 in both pass blocking and run blocking.
Mason’s mobility decline shows up in the film as well, in the pulling/power run scheme with a lessening ability to get to the second level.
Decision
Houston should consider releasing Shaq Mason. Mason has a small $1.055 million salary guarantee for 2025. This would mean the team would not release him until the start of the new league year, which begins on March 12. This would prevent the guaranteed salary from accelerating into the 2024 league-year salary cap.
Cap & Cash Consequences
Cash: $9.5 million in cash savings from salary, per-game roster bonus, and workout bonus.
Cap: $2.117 million initial cap savings with $12.482 million remaining as dead money. The net cap savings would be $1.277 million once a replacement player is factored in under the Top 51 rule calculations.
Houston could see a credit in 2026 if Mason were to play elsewhere in 2025 that could offset the $1.055 million guarantee.
Tytus Howard
Tytus Howard is the second decision and will require a bit more nuance. Howard will turn 29 in May heading to a season of uncertainty on where he could line up. Howard’s attitude in the media session on Monday in the locker room showed a visible change in tune. Perhaps conceding that his roster spot could be in jeopardy if he continued to push to stay at offensive tackle for the future.
Previously Howard was (paraphrasing) content with playing guard but preferred to play tackle, and he voiced that sentiment to the media a few times in the past. Today Howard spoke like a player who is willing to play wherever the team needs him.
The team could look to permanently move Howard to left guard for the 2025 season. A full offseason and training camp of consistency at offensive guard would benefit Howard.
Howard’s performance at right tackle, through 13 weeks of the season, was graded out at a 71.0 (ranked 31st) overall grade and a 75.7 pass-blocking grade (ranked 25th).
Howard moved to left guard for the remainder of the season (7 games). Howard graded out at a 64.1 (ranked 29th) overall grade and a 71.8 (ranked 16th) pass-blocking grade.
Howard’s run-blocking grades were nearly identical between the two positions. Referencing SIS Blown Block rates, Howar’s rated declined while at the left guard position versus the right tackle position.
Decision
Houston should approach Tytus Howard with a salary reduction for the 2025 season on a revised one-year contract. The issue with this tactic is the team has to be prepared to release Howard if he and his camp decline this type of offer.
Looking at the offensive guard market, including both right and left guards, I would slot in Howard around the $11 to $13 million APY area. This would place Howard 15th to 17th overall in terms of contract APY value.
For comparison, Howard is currently the 14th highest-paid offensive tackle, in terms of APY, at $18.66 million. If the filter is adjusted to just compare Right Tackles, then Howard is the 6th highest paid in terms of APY.
Howard is scheduled to earn $16 million in cash for the 2025 season including a $1.8 million salary guarantee. Howard’s current salary cap charge is $23.05 million.
How would this work? There are two paths here.
Straight pay reduction in salary for the 2025 season. Lowering Howard’s base salary from $15.5 million down to $11.5 million. This would also decrease Howard’s initial salary cap charge from $23.05 million to $19.05 million. This would lower Howard’s cash flow from $16.0 million to $12.0 million.
Offer Howard a revised one-year contract worth $12 million with an upside worth $14 million based on incentives earned. Howard would receive a $9 million signing bonus with a lowered $2.5 million base salary.
Option #2 would lower Howard’s cash flow for 2025 down to $12 million (worth up to $14 million with incentives) and lower his salary cap charge down to $12.295 million, creating $10.75 million in cap savings for 2025.
This structure models a similar structure used with the Stefon Diggs contract restructure. This revised contract would defer $9.325 million in cap dollars to the 2026 league year. Creating an essential “prove it” deal. To pre-answer the question on compensatory, Howard would not qualify as a compensatory free agent in 2026 if this structure was used.
Howard’s agent may not agree to such a deal and may opt to test out the open market. Several teams would be interested in Howard’s services if he were a free agent.
Houston would have to nail their player valuation, stick to their number, and be prepared for Howard to decline, requiring a release. A team cannot set the precedent on a full pay cut offer, have the player decline, and then proceed on as nothing happened.
Cap & Cash Consequences
Release
Cash: $14.2 million in cash savings from player salary and per-game roster bonuses.
Cap: $1.945 million in initial cap savings with $21.1 million remaining as dead money. And a net cap savings, after Top 51 replacement, would be $1.11 million.
Houston could receive a credit in 2026 if Howard plays elsewhere in 2025, which could offset the $1.8 million guarantee. As with Mason, Howard’s release would come on March 12th to avoid acceleration of the salary guarantee.
Revised Contract
Cash: $4.0 million
Cap Savings: $10.75 million in 2025 with an increase of $6.675 million in dead money for 2026 over the previous contract.
Closing
Tytus Howard is permanently moved to left guard, with Blake Fisher taking over right tackle, with Howard working on a one-year, $12 million dollar, contract.
Shaq Mason is released, creating an open competition at the right guard spot between Juice Scruggs, Jarrett Patterson, Kenyon Green, and newly acquired player(s) via the draft and/or free agency. Scruggs and Patterson will also be looked at for the Center position.
Thanks for reading!
-TC
No mention of Kenyon Green?