Teams around the NFL are calling the Texans to check on Nico Collins' availability, and the leaguewide interest comes with the understanding that a contract adjustment would be needed to make any deal work.
Jordan Schultz said it seems highly unlikely Houston would trade Collins at this point. The receiver is under contract for the 2026 season at $20.6 million, a figure that has made him both affordable for a contender and complicated for any club trying to pry him loose from Houston.
Collins has earned the attention. A third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Michigan, he signed a three-year, $72 million extension with the Texans and looked headed for a huge 2024 before a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve. He missed five games that season, and Houston restructured his contract last offseason.
He came back in 2025 and stayed productive despite missing time in the conversation about the league's top receivers. Collins appeared in 15 games and finished with 71 receptions on 120 targets for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns, while adding two rushing attempts for 15 yards and one touchdown. That production is the reason other teams are asking, even if the asking price is steep.
The tension for Houston is straightforward. Collins is valuable enough to draw calls, but the Texans have little incentive to move a receiver who was productive again in 2025 and remains tied to their roster through the 2026 season. Unless something changes on the contract front, the chatter is likely to stay just that — chatter.
