Bolstered by their surprising 23-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Week 12, the Houston Texans remained firmly in contention for the AFC South title. However, the big news involving the franchise was the release of veteran Dameon Pierce ahead of Thursday Night Football.
After four years on the team, the running back will now have a new opportunity to finish the current season with another team. Shortly after being released, Pierce signed a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs training team to stay in shape. He overcame stiff competition behind the scenes involving other teams.
Dameon Pierce Chose Kansas City and Thwarted the Philadelphia Eagles’ Plans
According to Aaron Wilson, the Philadelphia Eagles emerged as the leading contenders to sign the RB, potentially shifting him from the Chiefs to their roster.
The Eagles aimed to add another player with great potential in the backfield for the season’s final stretch. This is why a fixed contract with the Chiefs was not signed over the weekend.
General manager Howie Roseman made a big effort behind the scenes to sign Pierce as soon as the RB was released on waivers. He even made a personal call before the fixed contract was signed with the rival team.
However, this effort ultimately proved to be in vain, as Pierce will travel to Kansas City in the next few hours to sign with the Chiefs.
#Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made strong push for former #Texans running back Dameon Pierce, including personal call over weekend, per source, previously made trade inquiry to Houston, but no deal got worked out. Today, he travels to Kansas City to sign #Chiefs @KPRC2 https://t.co/z7FhXq6pf2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 24, 2025
Pierce ultimately did not go through the free agency process after being released. He received no offers from teams strongly interested in signing him. Other interested teams included the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, and the Indianapolis Colts, the Texans’ direct division rival.
However, the franchises that made the most direct efforts were the Eagles and Chiefs. Kansas City won the race to sign the RB.
Additional information suggests that Philadelphia even made a possible trade inquiry with Houston, but that deal did not materialize.
These two came up big in crunch time 💪 pic.twitter.com/xJyGLk2JJd
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 24, 2025
Pierce Has Had Little Impact This Season for the Houston Texans
In four years with the Texans, Pierce accumulated 415 carries and 1,674 rushing yards. He led the team in his rookie season in 2022 and scored nine touchdowns.
This season, however, his impact diminished with only 10 carries and 26 yards in four active games. Due to limited space in the starting lineup, caused by Nick Chubb and Woody Marks, he only participated in special plays for the Texans in 2025.
At 26, the RB will try to revive his career and regain his former prominence with the Chiefs. The Chiefs, which currently ranks 4th in the PFSN Offense Impact metric with a B grade, still need reinforcements to get back on track.
READ MORE:Â Week 13 NFL Power Rankings
Their 23-20 overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts showed once again that the AFC West’s third-place team is performing below expectations.
