C.J.

Stroud

Stroud, according to DJ Bien-Aime, cut out all sugar and consumed nothing but “water and lean food.” This has led to some offseason weight loss as Stroud angles for a new contract with the Texans. “Expect a slimmer Stroud,” Bien-Aime said. Houston might exercise Stroud’s fifth-year option before committing to him long term after his ugly end to the 2025 season. Stroud had a solid 2025 season overall, finishing 12th in EPA per drop back — just behind Jared Goff — and 20th in QB accuracy, just ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. Stroud will likely be a distributor in a run-first Houston offense this season and a nice option in superflex leagues.

Less than a month ago, McNair went on record at the annual league meetings saying the Texans are “totally behind” Stroud. Now, McNair has doubled down on those comments, hoping to cast aside any speculation that the team has doubts about Stroud being the quarterback best suited to lead the Texans for the foreseeable future. The Texans have exercised the fifth-year option on Stroud, keeping him under contract through 2027, and are expected to offer him an extension sometime next year. Stroud has struggled to regain his rookie form after throwing for 4,108-23-5 in 2023, but has led them to a 28-18 record and a postseason berth in each of his three seasons. Hopefully, with more offensive weapons around him next season and an improved running game, the Texans can relieve some pressure from Stroud as he enters his fourth season.

Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, had his fifth-year option picked up by the Texans. He will get $25.904 million in 2027 and is now extension-eligible. The 24-year-old got off to a fast start as a rookie, but stumbled the past two seasons. Last seen on a football field throwing four interceptions in the Divisional Round, Stroud still needs to sustain success beyond putting up fine numbers in the regular season. The Texans don’t have to commit to him long-term just yet, but they make the decision to give Stroud close to $26 million to start in 2027.

He adds that the Texans will engage in talks with Stroud’s representation “at some point” about a long-term contract, the expectation is that any potential long-term extension wouldn’t get done this offseason. It’s sensible for the Texans to not get out ahead of the Stroud talks after last year’s playoff flatlining. It’s also sensible for the Texans to look at all 52 games that he’s played, rather than just his last two, when thinking about what they expect from him going forward. The Texans will try to build up around Stroud ahead of the last two years of his rookie contract to see what they can get out of him, and Alexander believes an improved running game should also take some of the pressure off of him.

“He’s not going anywhere,” Caserio added. Well, that settles that. Caserio shut down loose talk of the Texans parting with their franchise quarterback after Stroud’s nationally televised Divisional Round meltdown against the Patriots in which he threw for 212 yards, one score, and four interceptions. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said in late January that he would not talk about a contract extension for Stroud “right now,” fueling social media speculation that the team was not fully committed to Stroud as their long-term starter. Stroud’s sometimes massive struggles over the past two seasons likely means he won’t get a top-tier extension, though it would be a shock if the Texans parted ways with him. Since the start of the 2024 regular season Stroud ranks 23rd out of 34 qualifying QBs in EPA per drop back.

Both Stroud and Jets quarterback Justin Fields reportedly turned down invitations to the Pro Bowl Games, both citing their offseason preparations as the reason for the decision. It makes sense considering the crossroads of their respective careers, with Stroud set to play the 2026 regular season on the final year of his rookie contract prior to a team option in 2027. The fact that the Pro Bowl has become a glorified dog and pony show also likely influenced their decisions. Either way, there isn’t much to read into this non-news.

Stroud said after the Texans’ Divisional Round loss to the Patriots that “there are no excuses” for throwing four interceptions on 47 attempts against New England, but that he was still getting comfortable in an offensive scheme installed by first-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley. Stroud in 2025 completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns with eight interceptions, improving in most categories after a letdown of a 2024 season following his outstanding 2023 rookie campaign. The Texans will have to make a decision on Stroud’s fifth-year contract option by May 1, and head coach DeMeco Ryans said after the team’s postseason loss that he would not discuss the team’s plans for Stroud, who turns 25 in October.

It is just a day after the Texans’ season ended, so it’s an unsurprising non-answer. It’s still noteworthy that the answer wasn’t exactly an affirmative, no-questions-asked, yes. “There is a lot of negative talk right now and he understands that,” Ryans said in an answer about how his message to Stroud is to block out the noise. Stroud’s catastrophic playoff performance will likely leave him getting his fifth-year option picked up this offseason, but neither Stroud nor the Texans should exactly be giddy about negotiating off his 2025 season. We’d be surprised if a long-term extension was coming before the conclusion of 2026 — if it comes at all.

About the only good news was that Stroud managed to avoid any fumbles in one of the worst fiasco performances in recent playoff memory. Missing Nico Collins (concussion) and without Dalton Schultz after a first quarter calf injury, Stroud seemed incapable of delivering a clean ball in adverse New England weather conditions. Almost literally every attempt was inaccurate, with Stroud’s picks being of the “hard-earned” variety rather than hard luck. It was a confidence- and potentially franchise-shaking performance as the Texans mull Stroud’s fifth-year team option for 2027. It will undoubtedly be exercised, but an extension is probably out of the question at this point after Stroud closed the book on his postseason with seven turnovers in eight quarters. Stroud is capable of deep touchdown strikes, but too often loses his mechanics and looks as if he is throwing literal darts over the middle of the field. Heading into his age-25 campaign, Stroud is a player more on the spot than ever.

The final score does not tell the full story for Stroud in this one as the veteran signal caller put the ball on the ground a ridiculous five times, losing two of them, in addition to his interception in the red zone. The three turnovers kept the Steelers in the game, with the Texans nursing a 7-6 lead into the fourth quarter before their defense broke open the dam with two defensive scores in the final frame. To his credit, Stroud did manage to lead the team down the field without alpha wide receiver Nico Collins to ice the game late, although the Pittsburgh defense was completely gassed at that point in the game. Stroud will assuredly need to play better football if the Texans want to avoid being sent packing when they square off against the Patriots in Foxboro in the Divisional Round next weekend, a game he could be forced to play without Collins considering he immediately entered the concussion protocol late Monday.