It took a couple of months, but Jerry Hughes finally found his next NFL home.
The veteran edge rusher signed with the Houston Texans on Wednesday, the team announced.
Hughes joins fellow former Buffalo Bills pass rusher Mario Addison, who also signed in Houston this week.
Hughes has spent the majority of his 12-year NFL career with the Bills, where he became a consistently productive and reliable defender, recording an average of nearly six sacks and 26 tackles (8.2 per loss) per season from 2013-2021. As the Bills fought through the tumult typical of a team morphing from pretender to contender, Hughes missed just one game in that span of time.
His future in Buffalo was uncertain following the heartbreaking conclusion of the 2021 season, and it became clear he’d be headed elsewhere once the Bills stunned the NFL by signing Von Miller. Hughes will change divisions, moving from the AFC East to the AFC South to join a Texans team in the midst of a rebuild under new head coach Lovie Smith and general manager Nick Caserio.
As the Texans attempt to pivot toward a brighter future, they’ll be happy to welcome Hughes’ veteran presence into their locker room. If history serves as an indicator, they’ll also be able to count on his availability, even as he approaches his 34th birthday in August.
