Texans officially part ways with Justin Britt

The Houston Texans formally terminated the veteran center’s contract after he spent 17 weeks on the Non-Football Injury list.

Friday, the Houston Texans terminated the contract of veteran center Justin Britt.

Britt, 31, was supposed to be the team’s starting center last year but stepped away from the team after only one game. He never returned to the field again in 2022.

The contract termination ends a strange second season in Houston for the Britt, who expressed excitement and optimism in training camp going into the 2022 season.

“The first thing I’ve noticed since yesterday is the energy,” Britt told reporters on July 30. “I mean, we have the energy but the energy from the fans and people attending, there’s a different vibe. There’s a rejuvenated sense, and whether that’s Coach Lovie, Pep [Hamilton] on the offense, it’s just a good feeling.

You could feel that in the summer and spring, but you get back to camp and you really start rolling, you start to feel it, and you start to gain that confidence and it makes it exciting to come to work at 4:30.”

Following the Texans’ fourth-quarter collapse in Week 1 against Indianapolis, which saw them squander a 20-6 fourth-quarter lead in a game they dominated for three quarters, Britt took responsibility for the offensive line’s sudden failures at the end of the game that led to a 20-20 tie.

“If there is a communication error, it starts with me being the voice of the O-line,” Britt explained to the media on Sept. 13, two days after the tie. “The guy who sets it all. I false started for something that shouldn’t have happened. I was late on a snap, and Tytus (Howard) false started, and again, that shouldn’t have happened. Just things like that. Just do better next time.”

There wouldn’t be a next time. The next day, the team announced Britt was missing practice for “personal reasons” but was expected to play Sunday in their Week 2 contest against Denver. Britt would not play against the Broncos.

The following Tuesday, the Texans placed Britt on the Non-Football Injury list, where he remained for the rest of the season.

The move saves the Texans a little over $3 million on their salary cap.