Thus ends his five-year tenure in Denver.

Make that now-former Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson. The veteran defender on Tuesday was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans, returning to where he began his NFL career more than a decade ago.

The Broncos waived Jackson on Christmas Day with the hope of re-signing him to the practice squad — a plan they seemed uncertain would materialize hours before it ultimately backfired.

“Each week we’ll see and keep you posted by the end of the week or certainly by game time,” head coach Sean Payton said Tuesday morning. “A lot of it will be dependent on who we’re playing and what their role and the vision is.”

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A longtime cornerback in Houston, Jackson converted full-time to safety upon joining Denver in 2019. He’d go on to start 69 games opposite All-Pro Justin Simmons, registering 393 combined tackles (268 solo), 22 pass deflections, six interceptions, and four fumble recoveries across a whopping 4,441 defensive snaps.

Jackson, who turns 36 in April, was solid in run support and beloved by teammates and fans alike, but his coverage deficiencies combined with his penchant for questionable (if not by-the-book illegal) hits slowly phased him out of the Broncos’ designs.

The latter has been underscored this season as Jackson was twice suspended by the league and, after losing his second appeal, served a four-game ban during which he lost his starting job to fifth-year pro PJ Locke.

“There has been a lot of good things [he has done],” Payton said of Locke last week. “It’s been a big part of some of the things that we’re doing. He’s done a good job.”