After a breakout season, Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye is headed for free agency.
The former undrafted free agent had two interceptions in the playoffs and stands to make significant money from some team for 2017 and beyond, but as the Texans officially closed the book on their 2016 season he said he hopes to return.
"[Returning to the Texans would] mean a lot because it [would] show that they wanted me and saw what I did this year and there are better things that are going to happen in the future from an individual and team standpoint,” Bouye said, per the Houston Chronicle. “I’ve been through a lot here with the organization, a lot of ups and downs, and they never gave up on me. I’m appreciative of that. I’d like to be back, but we’ll see what happens.”
Bouye played in 15 games in 2016, starting 11. He posted an interception and a career-high six pass breakups.
Plenty of teams need cornerbacks, and when those teams watched Bouye in 2016 they saw an ascending player who, at a listed height of 6-foot, matches up better with big wide receivers than plenty of smaller cornerbacks do.
Before 2016 Bouye had been a part-time player who had five career starts. Now he is a player who knows he is going to be in demand -- unless the Texans sign him before free agency opens in March.
"[I think I proved] that I can play, that’s the main thing,” Bouye said. “That I’m also a team player and a hard worker. I just wanted to prove to everybody that I can play. My past here, I always looked at everything from an individual standpoint. I was always playing the victim. One of the things I had to do was take a step back and realize it’s more than just me. I was doing more for the team: special teams, playing safety, dime [linebacker]. At the end of the day, the more you focus on the team, it makes you play that much harder.”