Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins came into the 2023 NFL season with something to prove. Not just to the doubters and the naysayers who questioned his abilities, but also to become the No. 1 target for rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Collins had dealt with a lot of adversity and a plethora of injuries that hampered his first two seasons. This season was important for Collins to prove to the Texans organization that he belonged – especially when head coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio would inevitably talk about mapping out the team’s future.
The Birmingham, Alabama, native comes from a family where you let your actions speak louder than your words, and he did just that in his third year with 80 receptions on 109 targets for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns. The production was enough that Caserio even mentioned the possibility of an extension at the NFL scouting combine this weekend. Collins is eligible and will enter the 2024 season in the final year of his rookie deal if he and the team don’t reach a long-term extension.
While Collins has reportedly expressed interest in a new deal, he isn’t focused on talking about a long-term deal right now. He knows that one more year of productive football will show the organization what he is truly worth, as he discussed with former Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowl wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh on “Airing it Out” on Fubo Sports.
“I’m locked in to where I feel like I need another year to prove to everybody what I can do,” said Texans WR Nico Collins on the “Airing it Out” podcast. “I’m just learning the game better. But if [the contract extension] comes early, then it comes early.” #Sarge @fuboSports pic.twitter.com/wz1uW8ckSb
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) March 1, 2024
“To be honest, I haven’t really talked to my agent about it,” Collins said when asked about a future contract extension. “I kind of know that it’s the end of my third [year], I’m up for free agency [next year]. But in my head, I’m locked in to where I feel like I need another year to prove to everybody what I can do. You know, ’cause the first two years I had, due to injury, that wasn’t my best me. So, I feel like after this [past] year, I’m kinda like, ‘Alright, I showed them a little bit. Boom.’ So, I feel like this year is going to be a little bit of a better year. Just mentally and physically, I know what to expect.
“I feel like I’m learning and getting better and growing. I’m just learning the game better. But if [the contract extension] comes early, then it comes early. But I feel like my mindset is to just go ball and let it play out how it plays out. I’m not chasing [the contract]. I want to get paid; everybody wants to get paid cause it’s a business. But you’ve just got to let it come to you. I know it’s coming, but I just feel like you gotta be patient. It’s a business, for sure, and I feel like I’ve got a lot to prove. I’ve got a lot more to prove, man.”
Collins became one of Stroud’s favorite targets throughout the season and their playoff run. It was surprising that the two developed the type of chemistry they had together, as Stroud knew precisely what type of production Collins could produce when they first met in person.
“I told him our first time ever working out together, ‘you’re a superstar,’” Stroud said during one of his weekly press conferences. “I never even snapped the ball in the league, but I just know good receivers. I played where we had tremendous receivers. I told him, my goal is to make you look as best as you can, to make you look like you.
“I appreciate him just being a consistent, great friend to me, somebody I can just let my hair down with, and I think our chemistry shows on the field. Our friendship shows on the field. I’m super proud of that dude, man. It’s just the beginning for him.”
After his production this past season, Collins has put himself in the company of some of the top wide receivers in the league and was graded as the third-best wide receiver in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
“I am not going to say nobody’s better than me,” Collins said when asked to name his top-five NFL wide receivers. “I’ve got that confidence. So, me [No. 1]. Then Mike Evans, for sure. I’ve been watching Mike Evans, and that’s who I model my game after. So, he’s up there. I like AJ Brown; AJ Brown’s a dog, for sure. I like [Justin] Jefferson; Jefferson’s great, and I like his game. Then Ja’Marr [Chase] and then I like Tee Higgins.”
