Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has agreed to a three-year extension, The Daily Mail has confirmed with his agent, Jason Chayut.
Chayut declined to share any contract details.
The 28-year-old Al-Shaair is coming off an excellent season in Houston, where he led the Texans with 103 tackles, while adding two interceptions.
He was also nominated for Walter Payton Man of the Year honors for his charity work in the Houston area, much of which centers on underprivileged youth and his own personal history with homelessness.
But Al-Shaair has divided both opponents and fans with his aggressive play on the field, as well as his vocal support for Palestine following 75,000 reported casualties in that country since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
In January, Al-Shaair was fined $11,593 by the league for wearing a message, ‘stop the genocide,’ on his eye black during a playoff game. That message was a direct reference to Israel’s military response in Gaza, which led to a man-made famine in parts of the territory, according to UN-backed experts and human rights organizations.
The NFL forbids players from promoting personal messages during games, which is why Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair was fined nearly $12,000 for his ‘Stop the Genocide’ protest
‘A much deserved fine,’ read a post from football fan influencer, Dov Kleinman.Â
While many criticized the protest, Al-Shaair also got support from concerned citizens.Â
‘Good for him!’ read one supportive post. ‘Standing up for what he believes in!’
He previously sparked contention when he wore ‘free Palestine’ cleats during a practice session in July of 2024.
‘I feel like it’s something that’s trying to be almost silenced,’ he told the Houston Chronicle in 2024.
Al-Shaair did not dismiss the October 7, 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of a reported 1,195 Israelis, including 828 civilians. Instead, he called for peace.Â
‘On either side, people losing their life is not right,’ Al-Shaair said. ‘In no way, shape, or form am I validating anything that happened, but to consistently say that because of [the October 7 attack on Israeli citizens] innocent people [in Gaza] should now die, it’s crazy.
‘[Other people] try to make a disconnect and dehumanize people over there. And it’s like, they’re human beings.
‘Being a Muslim, we see everybody the same; Black, White, Spanish, whatever you are; you can be orange, like, we’re all human beings.’
The Houston linebacker wore the message on his eye black during their win over Pittsburgh
Al-Shaair was also spotted wearing pro-Palestine cleats in Texans training in 2024Â
In December 2024, Al-Shaair was slapped with a three-game suspension following his sickening hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (pictured)Â
Al-Shaair has also drawn criticism for his play, which has bordered on ‘dirty’ according to critics.
In December 2024, Al-Shaair was slapped with a three-game suspension following his sickening hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was left motionless on the field.
Lawrence was running for a first down and slid to give himself up on the play. Al-Shaair did not pull up and made a vicious hit to his upper body and helmet.
The Jaguars star was eventually carted off with a concussion, while Al-Shaair was ejected from the game.
In a fiery post on social media, he attacked fans, branding those who criticized his hit on Lawrence as ‘racist and Islamophobic’ and accused reporters of calling him ‘every name in the book’ – before later issuing an apology.
The Texans are coming off an impressive 12-5 season, while surrendering just 295 points – fewer than all but one team.
