Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud can sling it, but the results have been a mixed bag over three years, with roaring highs and concerning lows.
Now, it’s decision time, as Stroud is extension-eligible. What are the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year’s thoughts on the matter?
“I let my agent handle that [extension talks]. If it’s time to do it, then it is. My job is football. That’s what I’m focused on, just getting better. I think I’ve held my bargain up,” Stroud said at the Texans’ OTAs on Thursday, according to ESPN. “Whatever happens, happens.”
In the aforementioned 2023 campaign, which also saw Stroud earn a Pro Bowl nod, he totaled 4,108 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a 100.8 passer rating (sixth among NFL quarterbacks) across 15 regular-season games, while completing 63.9% of his passes (22nd) in a year that saw Houston win the AFC South at 10-7 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2019; they defeated the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round.
Stroud & Co. followed up 2023 with another 10-win season, a division title and a wild-card round victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024. At the same time, they were again eliminated in the divisional round, this time by the Kansas City Chiefs. In the regular season, Stroud threw for 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while posting an 87.0 passer rating (25th) and completing 63.2% of his passes (27th).
Then, last season, Stroud posted 3,041 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 92.9 passer rating (17th) across 14 regular-season games, while completing 64.5% of his passes (20th). Houston won the AFC South and reached the divisional round for a third consecutive season, going 12-5. However, the Texans were also eliminated in the divisional round for a third consecutive season, with Stroud throwing four interceptions against the New England Patriots in the season-ending loss.
“I am a motivated person regardless. Of course, [the playoff struggle] helps,” Stroud said. “I have learned to let failures and successes go quickly.”
Regardless of one’s view of Stroud, he’s likely to become a top-10, if not top-five paid quarterback given the contracts that a handful of signal-callers who are arguably in the same ballpark as him from a sheer pedigree standpoint have received; Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love are in a four-way tie with Josh Allen and Joe Burrow for being the second-highest paid quarterback in the sport with a $55 million average annual value in their respective contracts; Brock Purdy and Jared Goff are tied for sixth among quarterbacks with a $53 million average annual value in their respective deals.
The Texans selected Stroud with the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Ohio State; they exercised his fifth-year option for 2027 in April.
