Derek Stingley Jr.’s $150K diamond chain breaks in freak sideline accident during Texans game

Derek Stingley Jr. wasn't even playing when one of the most expensive moments of the Houston Texans ' preseason unfolded on the sideline

The star cornerback was standing casually with a cup of Gatorade when a football suddenly came toward him. With one hand occupied, Stingley tried to control it against his chest only for the ball to apparently strike the large diamond pendant hanging from his neck. The pendant immediately fell to the ground.

Stingley's reaction somehow made the scene even better. He simply looked down with a completely serious expression, processed what had happened and calmly picked up the pendant. The chain has reportedly been valued at around $150,000 , turning an innocent attempt to catch a football into a painfully expensive-looking accident.

Derek Stingley Jr. can certainly afford expensive jewelry

Fortunately for Stingley, $150,000 represents a very different kind of expense than it would for most people. Houston signed him to a three-year, $90 million extension in 2025, including $89 million guaranteed. At the time, the $30 million annual value made him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history.

And the Texans didn't give him that money based on potential alone. The former No. 3 overall pick has developed into one of the NFL's elite cornerbacks.

After recording five interceptions in both 2023 and 2024, Stingley added four more in 2025, including his first career interception returned for a touchdown.

He now has 15 interceptions through his first four NFL seasons and earned first-team All-Pro honors in each of the last two.

So the viral scene offered a very different look at one of Houston's biggest stars.

Stingley usually makes his money preventing footballs from reaching their intended target; this time, one found him while he was simply standing on the sideline and somehow managed to hit what may have been the most expensive possible target.