Ryan Griffin had always remained hopeful that he and the Texans would find common ground financially so he could remain with the AFC South champions.
The veteran tight end's patience and loyalty were rewarded Saturday when he signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the Texans that includes $3.2 million guaranteed. Griffin had been an unrestricted free agent for nearly three full days.
Griffin had planned to visit the Detroit Lions in the next few days, drawing healthy interest from a handful of NFL teams before finalizing a contract with the Texans on Saturday.
"I'm happy to be back with the Texans," Griffin said in a telephone interview.