Now though, he has competition.
Rookie Ka'imi Fairbairn from UCLA signed with the team as an undrafted free agent and has been at the facilities working with the Texans.
Head coach Bill O'Brien said Fairbairn and Novak will battle it out in training camp and the preseason.
“It’s very competitive," O'Brien said on Wednesday. "It’s a very competitive position and we’ll see how that plays out during training camp.”
Novak kicked in 13 games last season for the Texans, converting 18-of-21 field goal attempts and 29-of-31 point after tries. He drilled all 16 field goal attempts from 49 yards or less, and was 2-for-5 from 50 yards or longer.