HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans didn't have to give Nico Collins a raise considering he had two years remaining on his contract, but they wanted to invest in him, especially given his connection with quarterback C.J. Stroud, amid a booming wide receiver market.
On May 26, it was announced that the Texans are giving Collins a $9 million increase in 2026 and an $8 million increase in 2027. With the new deal, Collins is set to make $29.88 million in 2026, which made him the fifth-highest-paid wide receiver at the time.
"You want to set your family up long term," Collins said. "We know in this business, it's a business at the end of the day. It's definitely something that you work hard for. You come into this league to get extended, get contracts.
"It's definitely a blessing. It's definitely motivation for me and this team to continue to chop wood, continue to keep going. But at the end of the day, I'm definitely blessed for that."
Collins signed a three-year, $72 million extension in 2024 after exploding for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns in coach DeMeco Ryans' and Stroud's debut seasons in 2023. Since earning that payday, Collins is 10th among receivers in receiving yards (2,123), fourth in receiving yards per game (78.4) and tied for 14th in touchdowns (13).
Since 2023, the Stroud-Collins connection has produced a QBR of 89.6 and 3,004 passing yards -- with Stroud's yards per attempt hovering at 10.9 along with a 19:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Over the past two seasons, Stroud's production has dipped when Collins is off the field. In 2024, Stroud's yards per attempt was 6.4, his QBR was 37.5, his off-target percentage was 21, and he had a 6:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. With Collins on the field, his QBR was 55.5, his yards per attempt was 7.5, and his off-target percentage decreased to 13.5% while his touchdown-to-interception ratio was 14:8.
Though, in 2025, Stroud was better with Collins off the field -- as his QBR was 72.7 and his yards per attempt was 6.8 with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 6:2.
"[Collins is] extremely important to what we do," second-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley said. "Nico is an absolute stud of a player and a person. You talk about size, speed, blend, the ability to affect all three levels of the defense. He can bring that every single day."
Before the reworked contract, Collins' $20.88 million in 2026 was originally set to be the 18th-highest-paid wide receiver this season -- and there have been more deals that have surpassed that since.
He was behind Brandon Aiyuk, DK Metcalf, D.J. Moore, Michael Pittman Jr., Garrett Wilson, Tee Higgins and Rashid Shaheed.
Those receivers have combined for one Pro Bowl appearance since 2024, with Higgins being the lone recipient.
Following Collins' original extension in 2024, the wide receiver market has been rewritten with the Minnesota Vikings making Justin Jefferson the highest-paid receiver ever a couple of months later -- giving him a four-year, $140 million extension. The following offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals gave Ja'Marr Chase a four-year, $161 million extension.
Then, this past March, the Seattle Seahawks set the current bar with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, signing him to a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension after their Super Bowl run.
This just speaks to how the receiver market has risen over the past two seasons -- as has many other positions. But last week, the Texans gave Collins a raise to keep his salary more in line with the level he has been performing at.
"A lot of people don't get that first, second contract, third contract," Collins said. "It's definitely rare, definitely a blessing. It's definitely a great situation for me and my family long term."