The Houston Texans recently made another big move. This time, they came to a contract extension agreement with their do-it-all defensive back Jalen Pitre. A 3 year, $39 million extension which will assure that the Texans have one of the most dynamic defensive backfields in the NFL. Soon after, the Chicago Bears came to an agreement with their own standout defensive back, Kyler Gordon. Gordon signed for 3 years and $40 million. These two players, their roles, and their contract extensions are an interesting comparison which I will do a deep dive into today.
Precedent Set On Teams Paying Homegrown Talent
I believe one of the most important point in both of these extensions is that both GM’s in the Texans’ Nick Caserio, and the Bears’ Ryan Poles did the work and took care of their own drafted talent. Caserio struck first, ensuring that Pitre was one of, if not the highest paid slot corners/defensive backs in the NFL. Pitre’s role on the Texans defense was one of versatility. When healthy, he excelled at stopping the run, was a key weapon in bringing pressure on the quarterback, and was the defacto slot corner and could cover if asked to do so. Kyler Gordon on the other hand is a pure slot corner for the Bears’ defense and had his best year of his career in 2024 since being drafted in the second round in 2022. He vastly improved as a run defender, and proved to be a player that can pressure the quarterback from time to time. Both organizations who have recently entered the building and contending stage, sent the message to their players and their fanbase that a key component in how they will run things is to make sure homegrown talent are taken care of.
Player Comparison: Breaking Down The Numbers
Both Pitre and Gordon are considered very high end players at their role/position. So lets take a look at the numbers. Are they as close to one another as the numbers would suggest?
Jalen Pitre:
Overall PFF Grade: 73.9
Run Defense Grade: 79.5
Coverage Grade: 71.5
Pass Rush Grade: 73.9
Kyler Gordon
Overall PFF Grade: 76.0
Run Defense Grade: 76.5
Coverage Grade: 76.0
Pass Rush Grade: 49.6
Gordon, more a clear cut pure slot corner seems to have the better numbers as far as coverage goes showed the ability to be improved in the run game. Pitre on the other hand who has established his impact against the run and as a plus pass rusher from the safety position showed that he can do a little bit of everything. Both players have proved to be instrumental in the building process of each teams’ defense respectively. In conclusion, both players are well deserving of the contract extensions they received, for different reasons. They are different players but affect the game in many similar ways. It will be a fun comparison to look forward to how both players perform in the near future, with both teams having upward trajectories.
Texans Perspective: Is Pitre Worth His New Contract?
I believe Jalen Pitre is absolutely worth his new contract and I think Nick Caserio and Demeco Ryans as well as the entire Texans staff feels the same way. Pitre’s dynamic role in Ryans’ defense helped elevate the unit because of his versatility and the way he is able to impact the game in a multitude of ways. Many criticize Pitre’s coverage abilities, but I think he more than makes up for that in the way he affects the run game. When he suffered a season ending pectoral injury late in the season, the drop off in the defensive effectiveness was very noticeable. He may not be the most talented standout player on the unit, but definitely is a very impactful defender that makes others’ jobs a lot easier. More than his abilities on the field, I think the Texans absolutely had to bring him back to truly push the narrative that this organization pays its own homegrown talent. With Stingley Jr, and Jalen Pitre being signed long term, as well as a great rookie campaign from Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock, and the addition of C.J Gardner Johnson, this defense will be so much fun to watch for the next several seasons.
