HOUSTON – Once the draft was over, the Texans stayed busy by signing up a small class of undrafted free agents.
That included South Dakota State wide receivers and twin brothers Jaxon Janke and Jadon Janke.
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Jaxon Janke (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) caught 51 passes for 818 yards and five touchdowns last season, finishing his career with 244 catches for 3,677 yards and 29 touchdowns. His deal: $10,000 bonus, $90,000 base salary guarantee, total $100,000 guaranteed
Jadon Janke (6-2, 205 pounds) caught 57 passes for 946 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, finishing with 170 career receptions for 2,800 yards and 30 touchdowns. His deal: $20,000 signing bonus, $90,000 of base salary guaranteed, total $110,000 guaranteed.
#Texans undrafted rookie class deals:
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) May 17, 2024
British Brooks: $15,000 signing bonus, $225,000 of base salary guaranteed, total $240,000 guaranteed
Max Tooley: $25,000 signing bonus, $100,000 base salary guaranteed, total $125,000 guaranteed
Jadon Janke: $20,000 signing bonus, $90,000 of…
The Texans signed Virginia Tech defensive tackle Pheldarius Payne, per a league source. Payne (6-3, 285 pounds), 4.85 speed, recorded four sacks with one forced fumble last season. He had an official visits with the New York Giants.
Playing in a rotation, Payne had a 90.7 Pro Football Focus grade for the third-highest Power Five defensive tackle mark. he had 31 tackles and 10 tackles for losses last season. His deal: $15,000 signing bonus, $75,000 base salary guarantee, total $90,000 guaranteed.
North Carolina running back British Brooks joined the Texans on an undrafted deal, per a source. Brooks (5-11, 225) rushed for 375 yards and two touchdowns last season, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He rushed for 295 yards in 2021 and four touchdowns, missing the 2022 season due to a torn knee ligament. Brooks is a former walk-on who earned a scholarship. His deal: $15,000 signing bonus, $225,000 of base salary guaranteed, total $240,000 guaranteed.
The Texans signed Illinois linebacker Tarique Barnes to an undrafted deal that includes a $10,000 signing bonus, $85,000 of his contract guaranteed for a total of $95,000 total guaranteed, per a source.
Barnes (6-1, 230) was a team captain, academic All-Big Ten Conference selection who had six starts last season and had 25 tackles and had one sack. He finished his career with 189 tackles, 18 for losses, 5 1/2 sacks, two interceptions and three forced fumbles.
The Texans signed BYU linebacker Max Tooley to an undrafted deal that includes a $25,000 signing bonus and $100,000 of his base salary guaranteed for $125,000 total guaranteed, per a league source.
Tooley (6-2, 225) had 92 tackles, five for losses, one sack, one forced fumble and one interception last season.
He finished his career with 311 tackles, 16 1/2 for losses, three sacks, two forced fumbles and seven interceptions.
Married last year, Tooley served a religious mission in London, England.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
