Texans to sign RB Phillip Lindsay to one-year, $3.25M deal

A day after the Broncos rescinded Phillip Lindsay‘s RFA tender, the Pro Bowl running back will join another crowded backfield. The Texans are signing Lindsay to a one-year contract, according to his agent.

Lindsay will earn $3.25M in 2021, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The deal could reach $3.75M. This marks a bit of a bump for the productive back, who was previously tethered to a $2.13M RFA tender salary. Lindsay will receive $1M in guarantees, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes.

In Houston, Lindsay will link up with fellow former Pro Bowlers David Johnson and Mark Ingram. Had Lindsay played the 2021 season on his RFA tender, he would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2022. This Texans contract would allow him to have a chance to rebuild his value in advance of another free-agency bid next year.

Despite becoming the first UDFA in NFL history to open his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, Lindsay fell out of favor in Denver. The Broncos’ interesting decision to give Melvin Gordon a two-year, $16M deal led to Lindsay splitting time with the ex-Chargers first-rounder and totaling just 502 rushing yards. The Colorado alum, however, made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and continued to excel in 2019 despite playing behind a middling Denver offensive line. Lindsay averaged 5.4 yards per carry and totaled 10 TDs as a rookie.

One of the NFL’s most explosive runners over his first two seasons, Lindsay is by far the youngest of the three notable backs in Houston. Johnson will turn 30 this year, with Ingram set to turn 31. The Texans, who released Duke Johnson earlier this year, also have Dontrell Hilliard on their roster.