- Houston Texans defensive tackle Junior Tafuna has signed with Young Money APAA Sports for representation.
- Tafuna went undrafted out of Utah in 2025, signed a three-year deal with $200,000 guaranteed, and was later waived and re-signed to Houston's practice squad before landing a reserve/futures contract in January 2026.
- Young Money APAA Sports, co-founded by Lil Wayne and Adie von Gontard, had a standout 2025 NFL Draft, headlined by Heisman winner Travis Hunter going No. 2 overall.
Houston Texans defensive tackle Junior Tafuna has signed with Young Money APAA Sports for representation.
Tafuna, a 6-foot-3, 308-pound defensive tackle, went undrafted out of Utah in the 2025 NFL Draft despite three second-team All-Pac-12 selections and being named the conference’s Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2021.
He signed with the Texans as a UDFA, receiving $200,000 in guarantees, a notably strong deal for an undrafted player. He was waived in final roster cuts that August, re-signed to Houston’s practice squad, and in January 2026 was brought back on a reserve/futures deal alongside several other Texans hopefuls.
Young Money APAA Sports, meanwhile, is real and active. Founded through a merger of Lil Wayne’s Young Money Sports and APAA Sports Group, the Dallas-based agency represents NFL and NBA talent and is coming off a strong 2025 draft class led by Travis Hunter’s No. 2 overall selection to Jacksonville.
Tafuna’s move fits a broader pattern of rookie-contract players shuffling representation as their situations evolve. Minnesota Vikings lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins signed with Athletes First, and Panthers receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. left his rookie-negotiation agency for Klutch Sports Group, both moves happening within weeks of each other in 2026.
Takeaways
A fringe-roster player like Tafuna landing with a high-visibility, culturally connected agency is notable less for negotiating leverage and more for brand exposure; Young Money’s entertainment ties open doors most sports agencies can’t.
Would Young Money APAA Sports’ star power translate into real leverage for a player still fighting for a 53-man roster spot? Is this part of a wider trend of agencies chasing depth and futures-contract players, not just top draft picks?
