Kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn Signs Historic Deal With Houston Texans
Kickers don’t usually get the love they deserve. They trot onto the field for maybe 10 seconds, the whole stadium holds its breath, and then everyone either goes crazy or acts like the guy just ran over their dog. But when you’re Ka’imi Fairbairn, and you’ve been nailing kicks for the Houston Texans since 2016, the love eventually finds you.
And this afternoon, it found him in the form of a two-year, $13 million contract extension — making him the highest-paid kicker in the entire NFL. Not bad for a guy who went undrafted.
Fairbairn Signs a Two-Year, $13 Million Extension With the Texans
NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo broke the news, confirming that Fairbairn and the Texans agreed to the extension ahead of free agency. The deal carries an average annual value of $6.5 million, which officially puts him at the top of the kicker pay scale across the league.
Houston already had Fairbairn under contract through the 2026 season. This extension keeps him in a Texans uniform well beyond that. For a franchise that’s been pushing hard toward a Super Bowl, locking up a kicker of this caliber before he could even sniff the open market was a no-brainer.
Why Fairbairn Deserves Every Penny
Here’s where the numbers get genuinely ridiculous. During the 2025 season, Fairbairn led the entire league with 44 made field goals on 48 attempts. That 44-for-48 performance didn’t just top the leaderboard — it tied David Akers‘ 2011 record for the most field goals made in a single season in NFL history. Akers did it with the San Francisco 49ers. Fairbairn did it in Houston, quietly, clutchly, and without nearly enough fanfare.
And speaking of clutch, Fairbairn knocked in six field goals, tying the franchise’s single-game record against the Colts. The last one came with 12 seconds left on the clock to seal a 36-30 victory. No drama on his face, no shaky leg, no crisis. Just ice.
“Ice in his veins,” Texans Wide Receiver Xavier Hutchinson said after that game. He wasn’t wrong.
Over his entire career with Houston, Fairbairn is 255-for-291 on field goal attempts, good for an 87.6% conversion rate. He’s also made 93.4% of his extra point attempts. For a guy entering his 10th season with the franchise, he also holds the distinction of ranking third in most games played in Texans history.
Fairbairn’s Place In Texans History
Nine years. That’s how long Fairbairn has been putting on that Texans jersey. He came in undrafted out of UCLA, where he won the Lou Groza Award — the most prestigious honor in college kicking. He battled injuries, adapted to a new long snapper last season in rookie Austin Brinkman after longtime Snapper Jon Weeks departed, and never missed a beat.
That kind of continuity is rare in the NFL. Teams cycle through kickers like bad WiFi passwords, but Houston found their guy and stuck with him. Now they’ve rewarded him for it.
With the Texans chasing a fourth consecutive playoff berth in 2026, having Fairbairn locked in is one less thing for the front office to worry about. Special Teams Coordinator Frank Ross, a two-time Rick Gosselin Award winner, has built one of the best units in football, and Fairbairn is the heartbeat of it.
The highest-paid kicker in the NFL. The record books. The clutch moments. All of it belongs to Fairbairn. And if you’re a Texans fan, that’s the best $13 million your team has spent in a very long time.
