J.J. Watt received great news from the Houston Texans when was activated from injured reserve, but he wasn't the only pass rusher on the roster to receive positive news this week. Besides the Watt news, Houston has agreed to a four-year extension with Whitney Mercilus per Adam Schefter.

Following the 2019 season, Mercilus was an impending free agent. But before he could test the open market, the Texans are keeping him with the organization for another four years.

The Texans drafted Mercilus with the 26th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Then, back in 2015, Houston signed Mercilus to a four-year deal that was worth $26 million. It remains to be seen what his new deal with the team is worth.

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In his eighth year with the Texans, he is having one of his best seasons in 2019. The veteran pass rusher has accumulated 48 tackles, 7.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, and 15 hits on the quarterback.

Along with those numbers, Mercilus has contributed career highs in forced fumbles (four) and interceptions (two). The presence of Mercilus has been vital to Houston's success on defense while Watt has been sidelined with a pectoral injury.

Before the season began, the Texans traded Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks. Therefore, the Texans seemed to make it a priority that they kept Mercilus with the team for years to come.

The Texans have shown that they believe in the duo of Mercilus and Brennan Scarlett for the foreseeable future. In light of that, the 29-year-old edge rusher appears to be on track to finish his career with the Texans with his latest extension.