The 32-year-old served as a three-time elevation in Foxborough.
The campaign will continue beyond Week 18 for Alex Erickson.
The veteran wide receiver joined the practice squad of the Houston Texans on Wednesday, the AFC South champions announced, after finishing the regular season with the New England Patriots.
Erickson, 32, officially saw his contract in Foxborough expire on Monday after not being among the organization’s seven futures signings for 2025. He served as a standard elevation from the practice squad for three consecutive games — the NFL limit — after arriving midway through December.
Over that span, Erickson played 14 snaps on offense and 26 snaps on special teams. The 6-foot, 195-pound University of Wisconsin alum averaged 10.3 yards per punt return and 26.5 yards per kickoff return. Longs of 26 and 34, respectively, were among them during his stay with a 4-13 team.
“I love the kid, man. Love Erickson,” Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer said last month. “He’s come in — I mean, there’s a reason why he’s played for so long. True pro, handles his business, is out there catching and fielding, in constant dialogue about what the plan is, what the gameplan is. He’s watching his own film. I mean, I’m glad we signed that guy because he’s helping us right now.”
Entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2016, Erickson led the league in kickoff return yardage as a rookie and spent his initial five years with the Cincinnati Bengals. A stint in Houston followed during the 2021 offseason before he moved on to the Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, New York Jets and Los Angeles Chargers.
Across 110 games, Erickson’s career includes 112 receptions for 1,373 yards and two touchdowns. Back deep, it has also included 1,344 yards through 166 punt returns and 2,835 yards through 114 kick returns.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans’ Texans visit the No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional round on Saturday. Kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium is set for 4:30 p.m. ET.