Now former Houston Texans pass rusher Jonathan Greenard is departing the franchise after agreeing to a massive four-year $72 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
On Wednesday, the defensive end took to social media to share this message of gratitude for the Texans organization and his teammates.
"Thank You, Houston. For giving me a chance to live out my childhood dream. Met some of the greatest (people) that I can call family now," Greenard said in his post. "Thank you to the McNair’s for EVERYTHING. Especially for rushing me from FL to TX to see my first child be born. Thank you to my position coaches that have helped develop me along the way. To my teammates, y’all know what’s up me. It’s LOVE forever. I will never forget the many memories this city and team has given me. Houston will always be another home as my time here has come to an end. Godspeed Houston. 52 out ✌."
At the start of free agency's legal tampering period, Houston faced a significant setback with Greenard's departure, given his impressive performance in the 2023 season. Leading the team with 12.5 sacks, 22 quarterback hits, and 15 tackles for loss, he formed a formidable pass-rushing duo with NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Will Anderson Jr., contributing to multiple wins for the Texans.
After showing promise in his second season with eight sacks, Greenard's progress was halted by a season-ending calf injury in 2022. However, he rebounded impressively in 2023 under DeMeco Ryans and Matt Burke's coaching, tallying three sacks in the first four weeks and multiple sacks in four games.
Luckily for Houston, they have now filled that void, with Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter agreeing to terms on a two-year $49 million deal with the Texans on Tuesday afternoon.
Hunter has 87.5 sacks over the last eight seasons with the Vikings, including 16.5 last season.
More must-reads: