The Houston Texans have signed free agent tight end Darren Fells to a one-year deal, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

The five-year veteran took one of the more unique paths to NFL glory of any player in the league. After a standout basketball career at the University of California-Irvine, the 6-foot-7 Fells chased his dream of making the NBA for several years by cutting his teeth overseas.

He did have interest from the NFL following his senior season, but the lure of financial security provided by hoops proved too enticing to pass up.

“Straight out of high school, everybody told me I should've played football over basketball,” Fells told the Associated Press in 2017. “After senior year in college, I got a call from my head coach and he told me Minnesota wanted to give me a tryout. I'm thinking, ‘Timberwolves?' He said, ‘No, Vikings.' I said, ‘They do know I play basketball, right? That's weird.

“I had a tryout and they wanted to have me come to training camp, but I had a guaranteed contract from five countries to play basketball and make about $100,000 with the team paying taxes, an apartment, a car and some food.”

Fells never gave up on the prospect of an NFL career, though, finally taking the leap in 2013, when he agreed to workout with the Seattle Seahawks as a defensive end. The team subsequently invited him to training camp as a tight end, at which point Fells' football career began in earnest. He made his regular season debut with the Arizona Cardinals in 2014.

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Fells, 32, had 11 catches for 117 yards and three touchdowns as a reserve tight end, most often used in blocking situations, with the Cleveland Browns last season.

His brother, Daniel, enjoyed a seven-year NFL career at tight end before retiring in 2015.