Duane Brown returns to Texans after lengthy holdout that cost him millions

The Texans starting left tackle lost out on millions during his lengthy holdout

After holding out for the first seven weeks of the NFL season, Texans left tackle Duane Brown has finally returned to the team. 

The offensive lineman was in Houston on Monday after skipping the Texans' entire offseason program, including training camp. Although Brown wouldn't explain why exactly he decided to hold out, he did tell reporters that he's ready to get back on the field. 

"I'm just ready to get back on the field with my brothers," Brown said, via ESPN.com. 

Brown's holdout might go down as one of the costliest in NFL history.  The offensive lineman, who was slated to make $9.4 million in base salary this season, missed out on roughly $553,000 per week during the seven weeks that he held out for a total of about $3.87 million in missed salary. Browns could also end up facing nearly $1.5 million in fines for skipping training camp, but the Texans could also decide to waive that if they just want to move forward and put the holdout behind them. 

The left tackle was believed to be holding out because he wanted to renegotiate his contract to include some more guaranteed money. Brown has two more seasons (2017 and 2018) left on a six-year, $53.4 million deal that he signed in 2013. Although the contract was slated to pay him a total of $19.15 million over the next two seasons, none of the money was guaranteed. 

It's no surprise that Brown decided to report now. To earn an accrued season on his contract, Brown has to be active in at least six games for the Texans. If he didn't hit that number, then the 2017 season wouldn't count toward his contract and he'd be locked to the Texans through the 2019 season. 

As things stand, Brown is hoping to make his debut on Sunday against the Seahawks. However, he said that decision is "up to the coaching staff" and not up to him. 

"It's my 10th year doing this, so I'm very familiar with what I need to do in order to be out there and be productive and be efficient," Brown said. "I'm in shape. So it's just getting caught up to speed on the plays and terminology and I'll be good."

If the Texans want Brown to play on Sunday, they'll have to add him to the active roster. Right now, the team has a two-week roster exemption, which means they could theoretically keep him sidelined until after Week 9, but that probably won't happen. 

The return of Brown comes at a perfect time for the Texans, who are only a half game out of first place in the AFC South. The Texans have been the highest-scoring team in the NFL over the past four weeks and there's a good chance their offense is only going to look better with Brown protecting Deshaun Watson's blind side.