The Houston Texans Have One Clear Path To Getting Over The Hump In 2026
Surrounding C.J. Stroud with an elite defense and veteran protection, Houston aims to reclaim its contender status by unlocking the quarterback's record-breaking rookie form this season.
Video Transcript
We've seen Josh Allen with January fails.
Lamar Jackson's had plenty of January failures.
Quarterback development doesn't end when y- you win Rookie of the Year, and I think a lot of us assumed it did with C.J.
Stroud.
And I'm not talking about just myself or the, the vast majority.
I'm t- I'm talking about anybody that said, "Wow," because you thought, you thought C.J.
Stroud was gonna be good, be honest, but you didn't think he was gonna have that rookie season.
So your expectations jump from here to all the way up here, and it's hard to taper those.
Once something is set, it's hard to go back down.
You go in Walmart, you buy ketchup for $4.
It's a big-sized bottle.
But now it's $6.
You got an issue paying that.
You'll pay it, but you got an issue getting back to that cost, 'cause you know what it was like to have it at $4.
That's the case with C.J.
Stroud.
Now, the contract, this is where things get huge.
Houston and Stroud have discussed an extension.
GM Nick Caserio has said that if they don't get a deal completed before week one, they're not planning to negotiate during the season.
So, you know, we know the Steelers do this, and Mike Florio called it a stupid procedure.
I think, to a degree, it's a smart procedure.
You don't want business decisions altering your season.
Now, it does put pressure on you to get things done early.
But is that a bad thing?
Is it a bad thing to be proactive?
I don't think so.
So Houston, to me, they've already exercised Stroud's fifth-year option, so he's under team control through 2027.
But meanwhile, the Texans already gave Will Anderson Jr. A massive, massive extension, which I want to point out, 100% earned.
It is 100% earned.
But we don't wanna make this only about money.
The actual football question comes down to, can Stroud consistently get back to that calm pocket surgery that we saw in his rookie season?
At his best, he's got beautiful anticipation, throws receivers open, excellent immediate accuracy, doesn't need to scramble to create the explosives, although he can.
He can.
And he attacks windows before they completely open.
The problem is, sometimes you can see four interceptions in a playoff game with that.
So he's at his best when he's anticipating and h- the ball is leaving his hands before he looks, the receiver looks completely open
