Texans Trade For Arik Armstead? 49ers Deal Fails After Danielle Hunter Signs

According to reports, the Texans nearly traded for 49ers standout edge rusher Arik Armstead. But why did it fail?

As expected, the Houston Texans have been very active during the NFL Free Agency period this week, making a slew of moves to improve the team across the board. 

One particular area the Texans were focused on improving was at the edge rusher spot, where they lost Jonathan Greenard, Derek Barnett and Jerry Hughes. 

Fortunately for Houston, they were able to do just that, signing Foley Fatukasi, Denico Autry, and perhaps their biggest acquisition of the period, Danielle Hunter. 

However, according to the Athletic, the Hunter signing also may have caused the Texans to miss out on another big-time defensive line get - versatile 49ers lineman, Arik Armstead. 

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"It seemed as if the 49ers and Texans had a player-for-player deal in place — Armstead for (Maleik) Collins — but it fell apart after the Texans agreed to terms with edge rusher Danielle Hunter, per a source briefed on the situation," said Matt Barrows of the Athletic. "The 49ers instead cut Armstead on Wednesday. Armstead’s suitors are expected to include the Texans, Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans."

Ultimately, the Texans and 49ers still ended up making a deal, with Collins heading to San Francisco in exchange for a seventh-round pick, while the Niners released Armstead as a post-June 1 cut. 

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According to reports, Armstead, who can play multiple positions along the defensive front, was asked to take a major pay cut, but refused, leading to his release and saving the 49ers $18 million in space. 

Luckily, as Barrows points out, and as sources told TexansDaily.com this week, the Texans could still be heavily involved in the race for Armstead once he becomes available.

And due to the fact that he is quite familiar with head coach DeMeco Ryans, the Texans should find themselves in good shape, should they make a serious push.