Scheduled to make $7 million this season, Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub isn’t sweating the fact that he’s entering the final year on his contract at 31-years-old.
That could be due to the fact that despite an impressive résumé, which includes a pair of 4,000-yard seasons, one in which he also led the league in passing yards and become the Pro Bowl MVP (2009), he doesn’t necessarily have a lot of leverage when it comes to his future and he seems to know it.
“That stuff, if we take care of our business, get our job done, things will take care of themselves,” Schaub told Nick Scurfield on a podcast for HoustonTexans.com. ”But I love the city of Houston and want to be here for many years to come. It’s important for me to finish what we started here, so I’m excited about what the future holds. Right now, it’s just about getting ready for camp and just keeping the blinders on and keeping the focus on the next task.”
As NFL.com Around The League Editor Gregg Rosenthal points out, Schaub knows now is not the best time to talk about his contract situation since he’s coming off season-ending Lisfranc injury that he suffered when Albert Haynesworth fell on him in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.
The 6-5, 241-pound signal-caller hasn’t fully practiced at all this offseason, but is expected to be 100 percent in time for camp. Moreover, other star players like left tackle Duane Brown and outside linebacker Connor Barwin may be higher on the priority list.
Houston made it to the postseason and earned its first playoff victory in franchise history without Schaub’s services.
Since being shipped off to the Texans in March of 2007 in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, Schaub has appeared in 64 contests (all starts) and thrown for 16,903 yards with 92 touchdowns to 42 interceptions and a 65.2 completion percentage.
“Much of this would be sorted out during tampering season, when agents gauge the market to determine what a player would get if he becomes available. The Texans and Schaub can avoid all of this, if they work out a deal before the season ends,” Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes.
“Given Schaub’s injury history and the kick that often comes from being in a contract year, the smart move for the Texans could be to wait,” Florio adds. ”Yeah, it may get expensive. But it will mean the Texans had one hell of a good year.”
My two cents: He’ll stick around as long as he can stay on the field. It’s time for him to finally remain healthy (has only stayed healthy for the whole year in 2009 and 2010), lead the team to the playoffs and win in the postseason.
I have a strong feeling he will, like I did with Matt Stafford last offseason and many pundits are already saying the Texans are the top team in the AFC heading into the upcoming season, which kicks off in less than two months with the Cowboys at the Giants.
Check out GridironGrit.com Co-Founder, Senior Writer Ryan Cook’s recent editorial on his expectations for the three top quarterbacks that are returning from injury, including Schaub, Jay Cutler and Peyton Manning.
Verse of This Piece: “Treat wisdom as a sister, and make understanding your closest friend.”—Proverbs 7:4
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