Three years ago, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and Texans defensive end Will Anderson entered the NFL as back-to-back top-three picks.
On Tuesday, Anderson met with reporters to discuss a contract extension that makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league, based on new-money average.
He was asked if he heard from Stroud after agreeing to terms.
“He had texted me,” Anderson said. “It was great. But coming in with C.J. has been awesome. It can be kind of hard when you come in by yourself and you got to figure things out, figure people out. But coming in with C.J. was great because we had each other our rookie year and we still got each other now. But to be able to come in with somebody who’s also God-fearing as well but also loves his craft, loves to get better, and loves to see the guys around him succeed and also is a leader, too.
“It was great for me because the days I was down, he was picking me up. The days he was down, I was picking him up. We just toughed it out and we did it.”
The job is only half finished, however. Anderson has his long-term deal. Stroud does not. Despite the Texans’ foresight when it comes to getting first-round picks who work out signed to a new contract after their third NFL seasons (they’ve done it with Anderson and, a year ago, cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.), Stroud has yet to get a new deal.
The situation highlights the basic realities of Stroud’s status with the team. The Texans have made it clear that he’s their guy. Given his struggles in 2025 (especially in the postseason), a second contract possibly will wait until after 2026.
The absence of a new deal, if that’s how it goes, raises the stakes for the coming season. With Stroud fifth-year option exercised, decision time would arrive in 2027 — unless the jury remains out on the value of a second contract and the Texans decide to wait until after Stroud has completed five NFL seasons before negotiating a second deal.
Texans Clips
The World Cup is coming soon. And it’s quickly becoming a pain in the posterior for the 13 teams playing in stadiums that will be commandeered for intercontinental soccer.
Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal recently reviewed some of the practical impacts of FIFA bigfooting the various venues where fútbol will be played. This week, for example, the Jets and Giants will move their annual draft parties away from MetLife Stadium to Manhattan.
In all, 13 teams are impacted by the World Cup: the Cowboys, Jets, Giants, Falcons, Chiefs, Texans, 49ers, Chargers, Rams, Eagles, Seahawks, Patriots, and Dolphins.
For the teams that have employees at the stadiums hosting World Cup games, many will be moved. Those who are staying put will be subject to FIFA credentialing to get into their workplaces. And the Giants will start training camp in West Virginia, since MetLife Stadium will be hosting the final match on July 19 on a grass field that will need to be removed and replaced with one of the worst artificial surfaces in the entire league.
That last part still has to be the most galling for NFL players. Owners with stadiums that don’t have grass have bent over backwards to do whatever had to be done to placate FIFA. Their regular employees, however, will still be stuck with a lesser (and far cheaper) playing surface.
The various sacrifices involuntarily made by the players and other team employees should prompt FIFA to give them all a phony, made-up award. Especially since FIFA has already done that, for far less.
Houston does not have a problem with one of its best defensive players.
The Texans and edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. have agreed to a three-year contract extension on Friday, according to multiple reports.
The initial numbers indicate Anderson’s deal is worth $150 million with $134 million guaranteed, which would make him the highest-paid non-QB in league history. The new contract also includes a no-trade clause.
Anderson, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2023 draft, was already under contract with the Texans through 2027 after the club picked up his fifth-year option.
The 2023 AP defensive rookie of the year, Anderson is a two-time Pro Bowler and was a first-team All-Pro for the first time in 2025. He also finished No. 2 in AP defensive player of the year voting last season after tallying 12.0 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, and 23 quarterback hits in 17 games.
In his 46 career appearances with 44 starts, Anderson has racked up 30.0 sacks, 46 TFLs, and 64 QB hits.
With Anderson’s deal done, the Texans can focus on a long-term deal with their No. 2 overall pick in the same draft, quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The NFL has announced the names of the current and former players that will take part in next week’s draft by announcing second-round picks.
The list includes players associated with all 32 teams, including Cardinals running back James Conner. Conner has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area after playing for the Steelers and attending Pitt, which likely made him an easy choice as the Cardinals’ representative.
Former Bears tackle Jimbo Covert, former Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett, former Chiefs defensive lineman Bill Maas, current Vikings tackle Brian O’Neill, former Jets running back Curtis Martin, and former 49ers punter Andy Lee are other Pitt alums who are set to take part.
The hometown team will be represented by four players. Former Steelers Jerome Bettis and John Stallworth will be joined by Joey Porter Sr. and Jr. next Friday.
The other players taking part and their team affiliations appear below:
Falcons: Michael Turner
Ravens: Mark Ingram
Bills: Shane Conlan
Panthers: Jake Delhomme
Bengals: Ken Anderson
Browns: Phil Dawson
Cowboys: Drew Pearson
Broncos: T.J. Ward
Lions: Calvin Johnson
Packers: John Kuhn
Texans: Billy Miller
Colts: Pat McAfee
Jaguars: Paul Posluszny
Raiders: Matt Millen
Chargers: Shawne Merriman
Rams: Tavon Austin
Dolphins: Dwight Stephenson
Patriots: Deion Branch
Saints: Marques Colston
Giants: Osi Umenyiora
Eagles: Brian Westbrook
Seahawks: Cliff Avril
Buccaneers: Ronde Barber
Titans: Jeffery Simmons
Commanders: Mark Rypien
The Texans played in Reliant Stadium for 12 years and in NRG Stadium for 12 years. Their 25th season will see the building’s name revert to the original name.
The Houston Chronicle reports that the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation approved the name change on Wednesday, and the stadium again will become Reliant Stadium in August.
Reliant Energy, which is based in Houston, bought the 30-year naming rights for the stadium and surrounding buildings for $300 million in 2002. NRG Energy purchased Reliant’s retail electricity business in 2009 and opted to change the name of the stadium in 2014.
NRG pointed to a recent survey that showed 90 percent of their Houston-based customers supported the return of the stadium’s original name.
“It’s the brand that they connect with, that they do business with, that they trust to deliver their power and that we have relationships with, so we’re excited to bring it back,” NRG Consumer president Brad Bentley told the newspaper. “We think we’ll have a lot of good momentum and excitement among our customers.”
Wide receiver Denzel Boston added a few more teams to his list of pre-draft visits this week.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Boston visited the Commanders and Texans. His previously reported visit with the Dolphins will take place on Wednesday and will be his final trip to meet with a team ahead of next week’s draft.
Boston met with a number of other teams over the last few weeks and he is widely expected to come off the board in the first round.
Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon and Jordyn Tyson are other top wideouts in this year’s class and all of the receivers are a little more than a week away from finding out where they’ll start their NFL careers.
Wide receiver Tank Dell’s status was among the topics that Texans General Manager Nick Caserio addressed at a Monday press conference.
Dell has not played since suffering a severe knee injury in Week 16 of the 2024 season and Caserio said that the team expects to have a better idea of what he’ll be able to do moving forward once they’re deeper into their offseason program.
“With Tank, honestly, it’s probably day to day,” Caserio said. “We’ll see where he is — probably have a better idea as we get through the spring of what his availability is going to be in training camp. He’s been here pretty religiously since he’s been able to do more.”
Dell was a 2023 third-round pick and he had 98 catches for 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns in 25 games before the knee injury. That production would be welcomed by the Texans offense, but Caserio said that the team isn’t going to wait around for more clarity before considering other options for the receiving corps.
“If there’s a receiver that we like, that we feel we want to add to the team, then we’re going to take them independent of what’s going on,” Caserio said. “In the end, the competition will sort itself out.”
Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, and Justin Watson are also in the receiver room in Houston.
The Texans recently exercised the fifth-year option on quarterback C.J. Stroud’s contract. That was expected, giving the team another season with the 2023 second overall pick under contract.
“I don’t really think it affects his future,” Texans General Manager Nick Caserio said Monday, via video from Aaron Wilson of KPRC.
“I mean, he’s our quarterback. We’ve said that from the beginning. [Head coach] DeMeco [Ryans] and I have both said it. I think it was more of a procedural thing. I don’t want to say it was a no-brainer, but it was kind of a no-brainer. Glad he’s here. Again, it’s more part of the process.
“We’re excited about his offseason. He’s had a good approach, had a good attitude here. He’s put a lot of work in March, April, so excited to have him around for the spring and excited to keep moving forward.”
The real question is: When do the Texans begin contract talks with Stroud’s representation? He became eligible for a contract extension after last season.
Given Stroud’s five interceptions in two postseason games in 2025, which came after a career-low 19 touchdowns in the regular season, the Texans might wait to see another season to confirm Stroud is indeed their quarterback of the future.
No one from the team has given insight into Stroud’s future beyond calling him the starter for 2026.
The fifth-year option will pay him $25.9 million for 2027.
The Texans had a pair of fifth-year option decisions to make this offseason and they’ve made the same call on both of them.
Field Yates of ESPN reports that they have exercised their 2027 options on the contracts of quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson. Stroud was the second overall pick that season while Anderson joined the team after they traded back up to the No. 3 pick.
Stroud is now set to make $25.904 million in 2027 while Anderson will be in line to make $21.512 million.
There could still be other contract news involving both players. They are extension eligible and the Texans could lock up either or both players well beyond 2027 if negotiations go well in the coming months.
Having won the CFP National Championship with Indiana in January, running back Kaelon Black has a busy pre-draft schedule.
Black has several teams on his list for pre-draft, top 30 visits, including the Jets, Broncos, Panthers, Colts, Texans, Dolphins, Packers, Vikings, Patriots, and Raiders, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT.
He may also meet with the Bengals.
Black played under head coach Curt Cignetti at James Madison for two years before transferring to follow Cignetti to Indiana in 2024.
He rushed for 251 yards for Indiana in 2024 before becoming one of the Hoosiers’ two 1,000-yard backs in 2025, finishing the season with 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 36 yards.
