NFL executives share concerns about Texans' C.J. Stroud amid contract uncertainty

A Wednesday report indicated that Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud "is prepared to play out this season without a new deal" after the Texans picked up the fifth-year option for 2027 attached to his contract earlier this year. 

It sounds like executives around the NFL think that Stroud's camp may be doing the Texans a favor.

"Big difference" between C.J. Stroud and top-tier quarterbacks? 

For an article published on Thursday, Mike Sando of The Athletic spoke with six NFL team executives to rank the league's AFC teams ahead of the 2026 season. The Buffalo Bills came in at No. 1, followed by the Denver Broncos at No. 2 and the Texans at No. 3. 

"I actually think the Texans might have the best roster (in the AFC)," one executive told Sando. "I'd be tempted to put Houston above Buffalo because of that, but there is such a big difference in the quarterbacks."

Of course, the Bills have one-time regular-season Most Valuable Player Josh Allen serving as their QB1 this summer. Stroud, the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year, was largely an inconsistent player from the start of the 2024 campaign up through Houston's two playoff games this past January, during which he tossed five interceptions and lost two fumbles.

Is C.J. Stroud more of a negative than a positive for the Texans?

"The last exposure to Houston was how badly they looked on offense," a different executive said. "I get it, Stroud is in Year 2 with the same coordinator (Nick Caley). But if he continues to look like he looked last year, they are going to have to win on defense, and I don't know how that is going to work. That is why I'm lower on them — nothing more, nothing less."

Earlier this week, Texans general manager Nick Caserio said that he will address Stroud's future "in the offseason" if the two sides don't agree to a contract extension before Houston's Week 1 home game against the Bills on Sept. 13. Stroud could make a statement and send a message to certain league executives by outplaying Allen at Reliant Stadium on that Sunday afternoon.