Kayden McDonald
Interior Defensive Line
Free Agency: 2030 (UFA)
Accrued Seasons: 0
- Height: 6'2"
- Weight: 326
- College: Ohio State
- Entry: 2026 Draft, Round 2, #36 overall (Texans)
- 2026 Salary Cap Charge: $2,346,319 (0.76% of cap)
- 2026 Cash Payout: $6,730,276 (1.85% of spending)
- 2026 Cash to Cap Ratio: 2.87
- Contract Value: $12,904,756 ($3,226,189 APY)
- Fully Guaranteed Money: $12,904,756
- Contract Ranking: 70/290 at IDL
Current Contract
(Drafted, signed 2026)
(📝: indicates contract trigger occuring during that year)| Year | Age | Base Salary | Prorated Signing Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Dead Money & Cap Savings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $885,000 | $1,461,319 | $885,000 | $2,346,319 | 0.8% | ||||||
| 2027 | $1,471,580 | $1,461,319 | $1,471,580 | $2,932,899 | 0.9% | ||||||
| 2028 | $2,058,160 | $1,461,319 | $2,058,160 | $3,519,479 | 1.0% | ||||||
| 2029 | $2,644,740 | $1,461,319 | $2,644,740 | $4,106,059 | -- | ||||||
| Total | $7,059,480 | $5,845,276 | $7,059,480 | $12,904,756 | |||||||
Contract Notes
Kayden McDonald signed a four-year fully guaranteed contract with the Houston Texans worth $12,904,756 on May 9, 2026.
Cash Flows
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash Due | $6,730,276 | $1,471,580 | $2,058,160 | $2,644,740 |
| Running Cash | $6,730,276 | $8,201,856 | $10,260,016 | $12,904,756 |
Career Earnings: $5,845,276
Career APY: $0
Contract History
| Team | Contract Type | Status | Year Signed | Yrs | Total | APY | Guarantees | Amount Earned | % Earned | Effective APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | Drafted | Active | 2026 | 4 | $12,904,756 | $3,226,189 | $12,904,756 | $5,845,276 | 45.3% | $0 |
Earnings By Team
| Team | Yrs | Salary | APY | Paid on Cap | % Paid on Cap | Paid as Dead Money | % Paid as Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | 0 | $5,845,276 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
Statistics
No statistics available.
Valuation Diamond
The diamond is a scatterplot graph that visualizes the relation of the player's APY (in green) and performance (in blue, as measured by OTC's Valuations) to the rest of the league at his position. To understand how to read the diamond, read this explainer.
| OTC Valuation | APY | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | $0 | $0 |
| Injury Adjusted | $0 | $0 |
Weekly Valuation Trends
The chart below illustrates the trend of the player's weekly OTC Valuations (in blue) from the most recent season, using APY (in green) and, if applicable, cash that is due to the player in the next season (in red) as benchmarks. Weeks not plotted indicate that the player was inactive or on a bye.
To see interactive and more in-depth use of OTC Valuation data, subscribe to OTC Premium.