NFL: AFC Wild Card Round-Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans

The Houston Texans rewarded wide receiver Nico Collins for his breakout performance last season with a three-year, $72.75 million contract extension that includes $52 million guaranteed, according to multiple media reports Tuesday. The contract, with a maximum value of $75 million, keeps the 25-year-old from becoming an unrestricted free agent after the 2024 season. Collins started 10 of his 15 regular-season games in 2023 and set career bests with 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns -- all totals which exceeded his previous two seasons combined. His yardage ranked eighth and TDs tied for eighth in the league. The Texans reached the playoffs behind rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, and Collins caught 11 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown in two postseason contests. Collins, selected by the Texans in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Michigan, will average $24.2 million annually, according to reports. That yearly average will put him seventh among all wide receivers, according to Over The Cap. The Texans traded in the offseason for All-Pro Stefon Diggs, 30, to join a wide receiver room including Collins and Tank Dell, who caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven TDs in 11 games (eight starts) as a rookie last season. --Field Level Media