The Houston Texans have signed their sixth-round draft pick and Florida Gators quarterback to a rookie contract. The four-year deal is valued at \$4.934 million, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston.
Mertz is the first player from the 2025 NFL Draft class of Florida Gators to finalize a contract.
He has a chance to compete for the backup quarterback position behind Pro Bowler and 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year CJ Stroud. Gators quarterbacks coach Ryan O’Hara expressed confidence at Pro Day that Mertz could secure the backup role.
“I think Graham Mertz is going to come into an NFL team and battle for that second spot,” said O’Hara. “I’ve had about 10 discussions with NFL teams. They’re excited to bring in a young guy with a solid skill set. He’s big, has great mechanics, and good arm talent.”
Mertz believes his leadership experience will be his greatest asset with the Texans.
“I’ve played a lot of football, and I’ve had a lot of experiences in college,” Mertz said. “Coming off an ACL injury, I know it’ll take as long as the team doctor thinks for me to be ready, but my goal is to be ready for minicamp. My selling point is, I’ve been a team captain four times in college, which is rare. I’ve learned a lot from those experiences, and I know how to lead men. That’s how I operate—I’ve grown every step of the way in my journey.”
He also feels that working in multiple offensive systems during his college career has prepared him for any challenges ahead.
“Having that pro-style background, working under center, making calls, and then transitioning here with similar concepts but more out of the shotgun with pre-snap motions, has helped me,” he explained. “In the Big Ten, we faced a lot of zone-based defenses, and down here, it’s more man coverage, with some exotic pressure. I’ve seen a lot of football, played in different offenses, and faced various schemes.”
Mertz, who transferred from Wisconsin, was the starting quarterback for one and a half seasons. In 16 games, he completed 73.7% of his passes for 3,693 yards, 25 touchdowns, and five interceptions. His college career ended abruptly with an ACL tear in a 23-17 loss to Tennessee last season.
Despite the early end to his college career, Mertz was selected by an NFL team as the 197th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2025 draft.
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