The Texans are one of the safest bets to draft a quarterback early in the 2023 NFL Draft, regardless of whether they stay put with the No. 2 overall selection. Now, they have a veteran in place to help mentor, back up and potentially compete with the inevitable rookie addition, on Monday agreeing to terms with journeyman Case Keenum on a two-year contract, per Sports Radio 610.
Keenum will get $6.25 million on the two-year deal, with $4M guaranteed, according to NFL Media.
This year's veteran quarterback market was unusually deep going into free agency, but Keenum, 35, entered with especially strong ties to the area. Born and raised in Texas, he played college football at Houston and began his NFL career as an undrafted signing of the Texans in 2012, also returning to the team for a second stint in 2014. Now he's back for a third go-round, according to John McClain, with plans to finalize a contract when free agency officially begins Wednesday.
Last seen with the Bills as Josh Allen's backup QB in 2022, Keenum has played for seven different teams during his career, carving out a consistent role as a veteran No. 2. A high school standout in Abilene, Texas, he's got relatively extensive experience as a starter, compiling 64 different appearances as a first-stringer across stops with the Texans (2012-2013, 2014), Rams (2015-2016), Vikings (2017), Broncos (2018), Commanders (2019) and Browns (2020-2021).
Keenum's best run as a starter came in Minnesota, when he threw a career-high 22 touchdowns, completing almost 68 percent of his throws, while going 11-3 off the bench for the injured Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater. He led the Vikings to an NFC Championship appearance before short-lived opportunities as the QB1 in Denver and Washington.
