Texans agree to terms with QB Leinart
Posted July 27, 2011 4:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans have agreed to terms with backup quarterback Matt Leinart.
Houston signed Leinart to a one-year deal in September 2010, but the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner didn’t take a snap during the season and the Texans drafted North Carolina quarterback T.J. Yates in the fifth round. Yates worked with incumbent starter Matt Schaub and backup Dan Orlovsky during the lockout.
Leinart later acknowledged the deal on his Twitter account.
“I am excited to be a Texan,” Leinart wrote. “Ultimately, I had to do what was best for me at this point.
“People can question the decision, but it was the right one for me. I love the organization, coaching staff and my teammates. Excited to get back to Reliant tomorrow and get back to work.”
Leinart was the 10th overall pick in 2006 by Arizona. He broke his collarbone in the fifth game of the 2007 season, Kurt Warner took over and Leinart watched from the sideline most of the next 2 1/2 seasons.
Earlieron Wednesday, the team agreed to terms with free-agent receiver Jacoby Jones and tackle Rashad Butler.
The six-foot-two, 210-pound Jones caught 51 passes for 562 yards in 2010, his fourth season with Houston. Jones was also the Texans’ top punt returner, averaging seven yards on 29 returns.
The six-foot-four, 308-pound Butler played in all 16 games last season. He started four games at left tackle when regular starter Duane Brown served a suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Jones’s agent, Kennard McGuire, said the deal was worth US$10.5 million over three years.
The Texans open training camp Sunday. Jones and Butler were two of the team’s top free-agent priorities, along with fullback Vonta Leach, who made the Pro Bowl last season.
More than 30 players began working out and meeting with coaches at Reliant Stadium on Tuesday and more arrived on Wednesday, including All-Pro receiver Andre Johnson and running back Arian Foster, the NFL’s leading rusher in 2010.
