Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. has agreed to a three-year, $90 million contract extension, with $89 million guaranteed. He is now the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history.
Highlights
- Derek Stingley is now the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history with a three-year $90 million contract extension.
- Derek is the grandson of Darryl Stingley, who played five seasons in the New England Patriots in the 1970s.
- Derek Stingley was five years old when his grandfather passed away in 2007.
On March 17, 2025, Adam Schefter, an NFL insider, announced on the X (formerly Twitter) about Derek Stingley Jr.’s contract extension. He has agreed to a three-year, $90 million extension with the Houston Texans, including $89 million guaranteed.
With the contract decision, Stingley is now the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history, with a base value of $30 million per year.
Moreover, the deal is negotiated by David Mulugheta of Athletes First. Following the news, NFL official account wrote,
The new highest-paid DB in NFL history. $90 million for DerekStingley Jr.
NFL
The extension follows Stingley’s standout 2024 season, during which he earned first-team All-Pro honors with 54 tackles, 18 pass deflections, and five interceptions.
Texans agree to terms with CB Derek Stingley Jr. on three-year, $90M deal, making him the highest-paid DB in the NFL. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/TsLXmv6wy7
— NFL (@NFL) March 17, 2025
Furthermore, during his high school career at The Dunham School, he had 27 career interceptions. As a senior, Derek was named the Louisiana Gatorade Football Player of the Year.
Similarly, Stingley Jr. entered his freshman year at Louisiana State University in 2019 as a starter for LSU Tigers Football.
Derek Stingley Jr. was selected in the first round with the third overall pick by the Houston Texans in the 2022 NFL draft.
Derek Stingley Jr Comes From A Football Background; Grandfather, Darryl Floyd Stingley, Was A Former Player
While the 23-year-old, Derek Stingley is making records in NFL history, fans often wonder,
“Is Derek Stingley Related To Darryl Stingley?”
The curiosity is valid that the NFL rising star comes from a family with a football background. He is the grandson of Darryl Floyd Stingley.
Darryl was an American professional football player who played wide receiver for five seasons with the New England Patriots of the NFL from 1973 to 1977.
Moroever, Derek Stingley’s grandfather had 110 receptions for 1,883 yards and 14 touchdowns in 60 regular-season games for the Patriots.
“That’s what paralyzed means”
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) February 5, 2025
Derek Stingley Jr isn’t the first Stingley to hear his name called in round 1. His grandfather Darryl Stingley was drafted in the first round by the New England Patriots. His career ended abruptly during a preseason game when a hit from Jack Tatum… pic.twitter.com/sCd8uddHPC
However, his career soon ended at the age of 26 due to an on-field spinal cord injury. Darryl Stingley’s grandfather faced injury in a 1978 preseason game against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Coliseum.
Moreover, Darryl Stingley passed away in 2007 from heart disease and pneumonia complicated by quadriplegia. Derek Stingley Jr. was 5, when he saw his grandfather passed away.
Furthermore, Derek Stingley and his grandfather were both first-round picks in the NFL draft, and the NFL player often mentions that he learned a lot from his grandfather’s NFL days and stories.
The Stingley name doesn't just stretch across the back of an LSU jersey, but also across three generations.@LSUfootball DB Derek Stingley Jr., his dad and grandfather are all connected by tragedy, family and football. pic.twitter.com/nxoMP7UmzR
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 4, 2021
During one of his interviews in Atlanta in 2020, Derek Stingley mentioned that the only film clip he has seen of his grandfather was “just the hit.” The player states,
I’ve never seen anything else, Just the Hit. He was going up for a ball. He saw the hit coming, and he just tried to like tense for it. And it just happened. He couldn’t really avoid it.
Derek Stingley
However, with the guidance of his father, Derek Stingley Sr., a football coach who played in the Arena Football League for nine years, Stingley Jr. proudly carries on the family legacy of being a third-generation football player.
Additional Information
- Derek Stingley Jr.’s father played college baseball at Triton College. He was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies as a center fielder in the 1993 Major League Baseball draft.
- Derek Stingley’s mother is Natasha, and he has three siblings: Isis, Nahjha, and Sanna Stingley.
