Texans' C.J. Stroud Predicted to Surge Into MVP Talks

Coming off an up-and-down 2024 campaign, all eyes are on Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud to have a resurgence of a season, along with the new-and-improved supporting cast he has on the roster built from this offseason.

And for some, there might not just be a bounce-back season in store for the year ahead, but perhaps an MVP-caliber season.

The Athletic's Mike Jones recently mapped out his boldest prediction for the Texans heading into the 2025 season, now less than a week from kicking off, claiming that Stroud "reinserts himself into MVP conversation."

"The Texans’ young quarterback rebounds in a big way after a sophomore slump that had a lot to do with an inept offensive line, injury-riddled wide receiving unit and struggles of former offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. Stroud finds comfort in a new system behind a revamped line and capitalizes on the arrival of rookie wide receiver Jayden Higgins, seeing a spike in touchdown passes and decrease in interceptions while guiding the Texans to another AFC South title and one of the top records in the conference as a whole."

Being invested in those league MVP conversations is setting some steep expectations, but if a few factors swing in the Texans' favor compared to last season, it's not out of the realm of imagination.

It all starts with the offensive line, a virtually whole new group in front of Stroud tasked with putting up better results than letting Stroud become the second-most sacked quarterback in the league as he did in 2024. That could come with a slight adjustment window at the beginning of the year, but if the chemistry connects quickly, it could be a prelude to a big-time year offensively.