Latest news with #Mertz
USA Today
09-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texans agree to terms on new rookie deal with Florida QB Graham Mertz
Texans agree to terms on new rookie deal with Florida QB Graham Mertz Will Graham Mertz be cleared to play in 2025? That remains a question, but at least he'll be under contract with the Houston Texans. According to KRPC 2 Sports' Aaron Wilson, the Florida rookie quarterback and Houston have agreed to terms on a four-year deal, keeping him in the AFC South through 2026. A sixth-round pick, Mertz will earn $4.93 million on his deal that included a $228,484 signing bonus. A former four-star talent from Kansas, Mertz began his college career at Wisconsin and later transferred to Florida. He impressed in 2023, leading the SEC in completion percentage while throwing for 2,903 yards and 20 touchdowns against three interceptions. Mertz was expected to start all of the 2024 season, but a torn ACL limited him to just six games. He put together a 76.6 percent completion percentage while throwing for 791 yards and six touchdowns, against just two interceptions, before being sidelined for the rest of the year. During his final season with the Badgers, he passed for 2,136 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The Texans return to the practice fields for rookie minicamp starting Friday.
USA Today
04-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texans 2025 draft pick profile: QB Graham Mertz
A quarterback? A quarterback. With Davis Mills entering a contract season and the Houston Texans losing Case Keenum to the Chicago Bears, the back-to-back AFC South champions need another option as a solid QB3 with QB2 upside. In Round 6, Nick Caserio saw a chance to take a long-term backup with Florida's Graham Mertz. A six-year college football player, Mertz started his at Wisconsin, but never lived up to his high recruit billing with the Badgers as he failed to breach 20 passing touchdowns in a season while throwing double-digit interceptions over his last two season. The Kansas native transferred to Florida in 2023, where he began to flaunt his touted potential. He posted career-highs in completions (261), passing yards (2,903), touchdown passes (20), completion percentage (72.9) while setting program records of consecutive passes without an interception (239). Florida hoped Mertz would build on that success in 2024 but he suffered a concussion in Week 3 that sidelined him for two weeks. He then suffered a torn ACL, which ended his college career five games into 2024. Here's a quick rundown on Mertz: The Basics Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 217 pounds Age: 24 From: Overland Park, Kansas Breakdown "Houston gets a potential backup of the future in the mobile Mertz. The Florida starter has good size at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds with solid athleticism as well. He's struggled with injuries but has an NFL-level arm and decent accuracy."- Ayrton Ostly Lance Zierlein's Scouting Report 'A highly experienced quarterback with NFL size, Mertz is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in October 2024. Despite a lack of eye-popping production, he became a much more comfortable and competent quarterback during his time at Florida. He operated with better poise under pressure and improved his decision-making. He gets through his progressions with average quickness but occasionally struggles to cut it loose on time, leading to pass breakups or incompletions near the boundary. He's pretty good about getting rid of the football to avoid sacks but he also lacks the aggressive mentality needed to attack pro defenses. Mertz is a game manager with adequate NFL tools for consideration as a backup, but the ceiling is low.' What Texans GM Nick Caserio Said "He's got a lot of playing experience, had some success at Wisconsin and went through the coaching transition there a little bit and he felt like the best opportunity for him was at Florida and then he played there his first year and then he got hurt a little bit, obviously this year. But good demeanor, good presence, has good leadership, good size. Throws a pretty good ball. The type of player that we felt had some traits and characteristics at that position that we wanted to work with. We had him here in the building and he was as advertised. We'll see how it goes when he gets here.' RAS Score Grade: C- "Mertz improved in all areas following his slump in Wisconsin. He's coming off a torn ACL, but is expected to be cleared by the time training camp rolls around. Accuracy will keep him on the roster as a QB3. Think of him like the Cooper Rush of Houston. Why an injured quarterback over a healthy one, however? Only Nick Caserio has the answer to that." - Texans Wire's Cole Thompson Highlights
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texans 2025 draft pick profile: QB Graham Mertz
A quarterback? A quarterback. With Davis Mills entering a contract season and the Houston Texans losing Case Keenum to the Chicago Bears, the back-to-back AFC South champions need another option as a solid QB3 with QB2 upside. In Round 6, Nick Caserio saw a chance to take a long-term backup with Florida's Graham Mertz. Advertisement A six-year college football player, Mertz started his at Wisconsin, but never lived up to his high recruit billing with the Badgers as he failed to breach 20 passing touchdowns in a season while throwing double-digit interceptions over his last two season. The Kansas native transferred to Florida in 2023, where he began to flaunt his touted potential. He posted career-highs in completions (261), passing yards (2,903), touchdown passes (20), completion percentage (72.9) while setting program records of consecutive passes without an interception (239). Florida hoped Mertz would build on that success in 2024 but he suffered a concussion in Week 3 that sidelined him for two weeks. He then suffered a torn ACL, which ended his college career five games into 2024. Here's a quick rundown on Mertz: The Basics Height: 6-foot-3 Advertisement Weight: 217 pounds Age: 24 From: Overland Park, Kansas Breakdown "Houston gets a potential backup of the future in the mobile Mertz. The Florida starter has good size at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds with solid athleticism as well. He's struggled with injuries but has an NFL-level arm and decent accuracy."- Ayrton Ostly Lance Zierlein's Scouting Report 'A highly experienced quarterback with NFL size, Mertz is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in October 2024. Despite a lack of eye-popping production, he became a much more comfortable and competent quarterback during his time at Florida. He operated with better poise under pressure and improved his decision-making. He gets through his progressions with average quickness but occasionally struggles to cut it loose on time, leading to pass breakups or incompletions near the boundary. He's pretty good about getting rid of the football to avoid sacks but he also lacks the aggressive mentality needed to attack pro defenses. Mertz is a game manager with adequate NFL tools for consideration as a backup, but the ceiling is low.' What Texans GM Nick Caserio Said "He's got a lot of playing experience, had some success at Wisconsin and went through the coaching transition there a little bit and he felt like the best opportunity for him was at Florida and then he played there his first year and then he got hurt a little bit, obviously this year. But good demeanor, good presence, has good leadership, good size. Throws a pretty good ball. The type of player that we felt had some traits and characteristics at that position that we wanted to work with. We had him here in the building and he was as advertised. We'll see how it goes when he gets here.' RAS Score Texans Relative Athletic Score Grade: C- "Mertz improved in all areas following his slump in Wisconsin. He's coming off a torn ACL, but is expected to be cleared by the time training camp rolls around. Accuracy will keep him on the roster as a QB3. Think of him like the Cooper Rush of Houston. Why an injured quarterback over a healthy one, however? Only Nick Caserio has the answer to that." - Texans Wire's Cole Thompson Highlights This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans 2025 draft pick profile: QB Graham Mertz
Business Insider
02-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Canadians are traveling to the US at a 'much lower rate,' Airbnb's CFO said
Airbnb's CFO said fewer foreigners are booking nights in the US than last year or earlier this year. Airbnb CFO Ellie Mertz also said Canadians, in particular, are pulling back on travel to the States. Canadians are visiting Mexico, France, Brazil, and Japan instead, she said on an earnings call. CFO Ellie Mertz said during Airbnb's first-quarter earnings call Thursday that US reservations from foreign travelers were down, citing "economic uncertainty" as a factor. "We absolutely have seen a decline in popularity of foreign travelers coming to the US," she said on the call. "Guests who would have in a prior year come to the US are simply choosing a different location," she added. Nights booked by Canadian guests to Mexico increased 27% between March 2024 and March 2025, according to Airbnb's letter to shareholders about first-quarter earnings. In earnings calls this week, executives at Hilton and Booking Holdings, which owns and Kayak, said that Canadian travel to the US had flagged, spotlighting Mexico as a place with upticks in Canadian visitors. On the Airbnb earnings call, Merrtz said that Canadians are traveling more domestically. She also said they visit Mexico, Brazil, France, and Japan. "In this moment, it's not necessarily that people don't want to travel, they are just using different destinations," Mertz said. Canadians have expressed dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump's tariffs and remarks about annexing it as another state. Some have boycotted travel to the US. Mertz also said that even if Canadians and other international travelers are choosing destinations outside the US, foreign travelers to the States only make up about 3% of Airbnb's business. She said most nights booked on Airbnb in the US are by domestic travelers, and only a "single-digit percentage" of global nights booked come from international travelers to the US. Shares of Airbnb closed higher by about 1% on Friday after the company reported earnings that were roughly in line with expectations. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told investors and analysts on the earnings call that he believes the booking platform has endured during past periods of economic stress because it offers travelers options at affordable price points. "We started Airbnb during the Great Recession of 2008. People turned to us for a more affordable way to travel, and they started hosting Airbnb to earn extra income. Then, in 2020, when the pandemic hit, we provided a way for people to travel close to home," he said. "Today, things feel uncertain once again. But just as we've shown in the past, as the world changes, Airbnb will continue to adapt."
Business Insider
02-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Canadians are traveling to the US at a 'much lower rate,' Airbnb's CFO said
The number of foreigners booking Airbnbs in the US has decreased from last year and earlier this year, with Canadians "traveling at a much lower rate," according to Airbnb's CFO. CFO Ellie Mertz said during Airbnb's first-quarter earnings call Thursday that US reservations from foreign travelers were down, citing "economic uncertainty" as a factor. "We absolutely have seen a decline in popularity of foreign travelers coming to the US," she said on the call. "Guests who would have in a prior year come to the US are simply choosing a different location," she added. Nights booked by Canadian guests to Mexico increased 27% between March 2024 and March 2025, according to Airbnb's letter to shareholders about first-quarter earnings. In earnings calls this week, executives at Hilton and Booking Holdings, which owns and Kayak, said that Canadian travel to the US had flagged, spotlighting Mexico as a place with upticks in Canadian visitors. On the Airbnb earnings call, Merrtz said that Canadians are traveling more domestically. She also said they visit Mexico, Brazil, France, and Japan. "In this moment, it's not necessarily that people don't want to travel, they are just using different destinations," Mertz said. Canadians have expressed dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump's tariffs and remarks about annexing it as another state. Some have boycotted travel to the US. Mertz also said that even if Canadians and other international travelers are choosing destinations outside the US, foreign travelers to the States only make up about 3% of Airbnb's business. She said most nights booked on Airbnb in the US are by domestic travelers, and only a "single-digit percentage" of global nights booked come from international travelers to the US. Shares of Airbnb closed higher by about 1% on Friday after the company reported earnings that were roughly in line with expectations. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told investors and analysts on the earnings call that he believes the booking platform has endured during past periods of economic stress because it offers travelers options at affordable price points. "We started Airbnb during the Great Recession of 2008. People turned to us for a more affordable way to travel, and they started hosting Airbnb to earn extra income. Then, in 2020, when the pandemic hit, we provided a way for people to travel close to home," he said. "Today, things feel uncertain once again. But just as we've shown in the past, as the world changes, Airbnb will continue to adapt."
