Ingram transformed Houston's offensive line. Now, a surging market forces a tough choice: pay top dollar or find a cheaper replacement for C.J. Stroud's protection.
The Houston Texans’ 2025 season was a masterclass in low-risk, high-reward scouting, and perhaps no move embodied that better than the trade for Ed Ingram. Acquired from the Minnesota Vikings for a mere 2026 sixth-round pick, Ingram didn’t just fill a gap at right guard; he stabilized an interior that had previously been a revolving door of pressure.
But as the 2026 free agency window looms, the Texans find themselves victims of their own success. Ingram is no longer the "shaky" prospect Minnesota gave up on. He is now a 27-year-old road grader hitting the open market at the exact moment the NFL’s guard market is exploding.
The Resurrection of a Second-Rounder
When Ingram arrived in Houston, the narrative was one of "last chances." He had been benched in Minnesota after struggling in pass protection. However, under the Texans' scheme, he blossomed. In 2025, he posted a career-best season, allowing the 12th lowest pressure rate (6.4%) among guards with at least 400 pass-blocking snaps.
More importantly, he was a key reason C.J. Stroud’s sack numbers plummeted from a staggering 52 in 2024 to just 23 in 2025. That kind of protection isn't just "good"—for a franchise with a generational quarterback, it’s essential.
The Price of Stability
The problem for General Manager Nick Caserio is the math. Ingram played last season on a bargain base salary of $3.4 million. Now, industry insiders like KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson suggest his next deal could land between $15 million and $18 million annually.
- The Projection: Spotrac has a more conservative, but still hefty, projection of three years, $39 million($13M AAV).
- The Market: If Ingram hits $15M+ a year, he enters the top 10 highest-paid right guards in the league.
- The Conflict: Houston enters the offseason with roughly $14 millionin cap space.With extensions for stars like Will Anderson Jr. on the horizon and 22 other unrestricted free agents to consider, giving a "top dollar" contract to a guard who has only one elite season under his belt is a massive gamble.
The Opinion: To Pay or to Pass?
In my view, the Texans cannot afford to let Ingram walk, but they also cannot afford to be the team that resets the market for him.
Houston’s offensive identity is built on Stroud’s rhythm. If you remove the most consistent piece of the interior line, you risk regressing to the 2024 era where Stroud was constantly under duress. However, paying $18 million a year for a player who was a "draft bust" in Minnesota just 18 months ago feels like a recipe for a "buyer's remorse" headline in 2027.
The "Caserio Move" would be a front-loaded three-year deal that provides Ingram the security he’s earned while giving the Texans an out after year two. If Ingram demands a bidding war on the open market, Houston might be forced to look toward the draft (perhaps Notre Dame’s Billy Schrauth or a similar interior prospect) to find their next "bargain" starter.
Bottom Line
Ed Ingram has all the leverage. He’s young, he’s healthy, and he plays a premium-adjacent position in a league starved for line talent. For Houston, the choice is simple, pay the "Stroud Tax" to keep the pocket clean, or let Ingram walk and pray that a 2026 rookie can do the same job for a fraction of the cost.