The NFL has levied its decision on Houston Texans team captain and veteran linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
Al-Shaair drew attention and ire from fans of the Tennessee Titans, the Texansâ Week 4 opponent, after his hit on quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward along the sideline on a third-down conversion attempt.
Despite not drawing any repercussions at the time, Al-Shaair has indeed heard from the league.
Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair Pays Price for Hit on Cam Ward
GettyCam Ward #1 of the Tennessee Titans passes under pressure from Azeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans.
âThe NFL fined #Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair $17,389 for roughing the passer â a blow to #Titans QB Cam Wardâs head/neck area last week,â NFL Networkâs Tom Pelissero reported on x on October 4. âNo flag was thrown.â
Fan reactions to the play were not kind to Al-Shaair, whose reputation preceded him.
âNo penalty here,â wrote the fan who initially posted the video that Pelissero quoted. âThanks NFL Officiating.â
âRefs missed this blatant late/dirty hit on #Titans QB Cam Ward,â The Draft Networkâs Justin Melo said in a post on X during the game, which the Texans won 26-0. âNoted dirty player Azeez Al-Shaair. Incredible this wasnât called.â
Stadium Rantâs Clint Goss compared Al-Shaair to former Cincinnati Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict.
Burfict ran afoul of the league many times during his playing career. Unfortunately for the Texans, so has Al-Shaair.
Azeez Al-Shaair Plays Game the âRight Wayâ
GettyAzeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans reacts against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Texans boast about their âswarm mentality,â and Al-Shaair embodies that, sometimes to his own and the teamâs detriment. He has insisted that he is not a dirty player before facing the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3, but also acknowledged that he plays hard.
Al-Shaair received a three-game suspension for a hit to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in 2024. The QB believed it was accidental, but he missed the rest of the 2024 season.
Al-Shaair, who said he apologized to Lawrence, has had several other incidents as well.
Al-Shaair was fined $338,233 for âconduct detrimentalâ after that hit.
âIâm gonna go out there and do what Iâve done my entire career: play as hard as I can. Anybody who got the ball in the hand, thatâs what Iâm trying to hit. And just do my job,â Al-Shaair told reporters in September before being asked if the context would affect him in any way. âJust try to hit him as hard as I can do my job like I always do. Itâs really nothing different just like, you know, I it’s definitely a personal thing in a way, cuz just about the credibility of my name. But you know, I guess that’s more just how I attacked the whole season.
âIt was a league-wide thing that they tried to make me out to be somebody that I wasnât. So, I think for me, Iâve just kind of been trying to prove a point every single week of who I am. And I play hard, but I play the game the right way. So, thatâs just why Iâm gonna keep doing.â
NFL in Azeez Al-Shaairâs Pockets
GettyAzeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans reacts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
According to Spotrac, the NFL has now fined Al-Shaair $424,110. He has been fined for seven infractions in seven different games, all during the 2023, 2024, and, now, 2025 seasons.
Al-Shaair received four fines just in 2024, his first season with the Texans.
A two-time team captain for the Texans, Al-Shaair is signed through 2026 on a three-year, $34 million contract. The Texans can cut him next offseason, saving themselves $11.5 million with $3.7 million in dead money in 2026, per Spotrac.
The Texans would have another $9 million in dead money on their books in 2027, though, with void years adding complexity to the situation, along with Al-Shaair being a leader on the team.
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