Bookmaker odds on the Houston Texans list them as a darkhorse to win the Super Bowl next season. The Texans have made some good moves though and that has made their online bookmaker odds worth considering. The Texans recently signed Pro Bowl linebacker DeMeco Ryans to a six-year, $48 million dollar deal.
Bookmaker numbers list Ryans as one of the highest paid linebackers in the NFL. The deal includes $21.75 million guaranteed and $26.3 million in the first three years of the contract. Ryan was selected in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft and has been a great player. He was the 2006 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Those that look at bookmaker odds will notice that Ryans had 123 tackles and a sack and made the Pro Bowl last season. In each of his first four years, he has had at least 85 tackles.
Ryans was thrilled with the new contract. “This is unbelievable,” Ryans said. “I still can’t believe it. I hope this can set an example for young players that hard work and patience can pay off.” Bookmaker numbers indicated that the contract had Ryans getting $14.5 million this year including a $7.5 million dollar signing bonus. “I think this is a huge move for the Texans to step up and get this deal done,” said Ryans’ agent Ben Dogra, “This sends a strong message about the Texans’ commitment to winning and their intentions of having their core players in place. They deserve a lot of credit.”
The online bookmaker indicated that Ryans would have been a restrictive free agent but that is no longer a worry now. “I want to thank Mr. (Bob) McNair and Rick Smith for believing in me,” Ryans said. “They didn’t have to do this. I want to thank my teammates, too. I’m so appreciative of everything.” It is hard to argue with the success that Ryans has had with the Texans. He is their defensive captain and last year he had 93 unassisted tackles as part of his 123 tackle total. The bookmaker noticed that he really helped strong-side linebacker Brian Cushing, who was voted NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. The online bookmaker noted that both Ryans and Cushing made the Pro Bowl. “Last year, I put everything behind me when we didn’t get a deal done because I wanted to focus on football,” Ryans said. “I thought I had my best season. All that hard work I put into it has definitely paid off.”