How many quality FAs can 51M buy (assuming they're willing to come)?
How much is a quality QB?
Let's assume Brady is a year or two younger.
Rodgers?
Even Geno Smith?
How much is a quality center?
A quality guard?
A quality NT? DT?
Edge Rusher?
Safety?
51M buy you very little while you still have to compete with other teams for their services (the FAs).
4-5 solid starters.
You aren't going to be able to get top tier FA's to come to Kirby right now anyways. You can find solid long term starter level players at the DT/LB positions in this fa class. BTW, this is a weak fa class.
Add say 3-4 solid starters and add 5 starter level players from the draft, including 2-3 star level players and give them some NFL experience. You put this together with a healthy last years class and another productive draft in 2024 and the future is bright.
Right now things look grim because this is the beginning of the rebuild and the terrible coaching, plus having bad QB play and a tough schedule. It is what it is.
At the beginning of the year most fans wanted the Texans to be competitive in most games and for the most part they have been. Now it looks like the team is beginning to quit on Lovie, so that's a problem.
You likely won't find the QB answer QB fa. Jimmy G/Mike White/Dalton/Minshew are guys I would look at bringing in on three year deals as stop gaps and draft a QB in 2024.