Defensive end Danielle Hunter is being handsomely rewarded by the Houston Texans after a standout 2025 season. Hunter and Houston have agreed to a one-year, $40.1 million extension that includes a $30.7 million signing bonus, NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo, and Tom Pelissero reported Thursday night. The deal keeps Hunter under contract through the 2027 season.
Since joining the Texans as a free agent in 2024, Hunter has recorded 27 sacks over two seasons, along with 32 tackles for loss and 45 quarterback hits. He has received one-year extensions each of the last two years, and this latest deal elevates him among the NFL’s highest-paid pass rushers. His $40.1 million salary ranks fourth behind Micah Parsons ($46.6 million), Aidan Hutchinson ($45 million), and T.J. Watt ($41 million), just ahead of reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett ($40 million).
Hunter, 31, has totaled 114.5 career sacks, with 87.5 of those coming during eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He has continued his dominant play with Houston, helping the Texans finish 2025 as the NFL’s No. 1 total defense.
Hunter has formed one of the league’s elite edge tandems alongside Will Anderson Jr., with both players posting double-digit sacks in each of their seasons together. Anderson is expected to receive a contract extension of his own, with work reportedly underway as a top offseason priority for the Texans.
While it remains to be seen if Anderson will match Hunter’s pay scale, Hunter’s new deal cements him as one of the premier defensive players and leaders of Houston’s vaunted defense.
