On the first day of NFL free agency, Eastside alumni Sheldon Rankins and Eric Stokes received big pay days from their respective teams.

After a standout season in 2025, Rankins is set to return to the Houston Texans.

The Eastside Eagle alum reportedly signed a two-year, $12 million guaranteed contract with the Texans on Monday, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network.

In his 10th NFL season, Rankins produced one of his best performances in his career. The 31-year-old defensive tackle accounted for 41 combined tackles (six of them for loss) and 4.5 sacks in all 19 games the Texans played. He also produced two big highlights, taking back two fumble recoveries for scores.

Rankins was drafted 12th overall in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Louisville by the New Orleans Saints. He spent five seasons with the Saints before signing with the New York Jets in 2021. 

Rankins then played one year with the Texans in 2023 before signing a two-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. However, his tenure with the Bengals did not pan out, leading to his release and subsequent reuniting with the Texans.

Thirty minutes after the news of Rankins’ contract was announced, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that Stokes would be resigning with the Las Vegas Raiders. Stokes reportedly received a three-year deal worth $30 million with $20 million guaranteed.

Stokes joined the Raiders after four seasons with the Green Bay Packers. In his lone season with the Raiders he posted 53 combined tackles, his best number since his rookie season in 2021. Three of those tackles were for a loss, which was a career high.

Stokes was drafted 29th overall in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft after four seasons at Georgia.

Before their time in the NFL, Rankins and Stokes were standouts under the bright lights of Sharp Stadium. Both gentlemen are the only two players in school history to have their jerseys retired.