Report: Houston Texans sign veteran DL Denico Autry to two-year deal

The Houston Texans are signing veteran defensive lineman Denico Autry to a two-year, $20 million deal, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero. The deal includes $10.5 million guaranteed.

Autry, a Mississippi State alum, most recently completed his 10th season in the NFL. He previously spent the last three seasons with the Tennessee Titans.

He was an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State and was picked up by the Oakland Raiders ahead of the 2014 season. At MSU, Autry recorded 73 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six sacks and three forced fumbles in his two-year career

Before State, Autry was a JUCO product at East Mississippi Community College (before it was featured on Netflix’s ‘Last Chance U’), where he was an NJCAA Football All-America First-teamer in 2011.

More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2024 calendar year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams can enter into a legal negotiation with players who are set to become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits. Following the restricted free agent deadline comes the 2024 NFL Draft, which runs from April 25-27.

More on restricted, exclusive rights free agents

Players with only three years of accredited NFL experience become restricted free agents. Their original team will have the option to apply first-round, second-round, original-round, and right-of-fight-of-first-refusal tenders on players at escalating price tags. The higher the round, the more expensive the tender amount; however, if a separate team does offer a contract and the original team does not match, that round’s pick will be conveyed from the new team to the original team. Right of first refusal only gives a team the option to match or not. If they don’t match, they get nothing in return. An original-round tender would send a draft pick from whatever round the player was drafted back to the original team if they chose not to match. The original team will have five days to match once a player signs an offer sheet from a new team.