There has been no more talked about Texans player than quarterback C.J. Stroud this offseason.
It makes sense.
He is the franchise quarterback, and every move he makes, including cutting his dreads, is scrutinized. The whole conversation this offseason is about how bad and unsure of himself he looked in playoff games against Pittsburgh and New England this past season, and whether the Texans should extend or simply move on from the quarterback entering his fourth season.
So it has been interesting to see Stroud back out there on the practice field for OTAs, with all of this still blowing in the background. He looks as confident as ever, and you can see the growth he is making in Year 2 of Nick Caley’s offense.
You can hear it in his delivery.
“As (with) anything in life, you grow as you continue to do it,” Stroud said after a recent OTA practice. “So, going into my fourth year, I’ve been playing football my whole life, so every year I get better at something, every year I learn something. So, it’s been a joy.
“I really do enjoy what I do, I love what I do. I think I’ve learned every single year, every offseason, every season, something new and something that I can take not only just for the next season, but also for life.”
Yet, there is still so much doubt swirling around about his ability to lead this franchise. To me, questioning Stroud’s ability to lead this franchise is ridiculous. Remember those dark years between Deshaun Watson and Stroud’s arrival.
His impressive body of work, while not flawless, speaks for itself.
Keep in mind, he has done some things that probably no young quarterback has done during his first three NFL seasons: Taking a team that had been nowhere near the playoffs in years to three straight postseasons and winning a game in each of their appearances.
“I don’t think things are different; you just grow and evolve,” said Stroud, who was the AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year a few years ago. “I learn a lot that I can’t give you like specifics, but I would prefer to keep those things to myself. I just grow as a man, grow as a man of God, grow as a teammate, as a leader, as a son, as a brother, just every single aspect of my life I try to learn and grow and never try to think that I’ve arrived or that I’ve just failed enough to where I can’t get back up. So, it’s just things I try to get better at.”
If you have paid attention to Stroud at all these past few seasons, then you know that when he is backed into a corner, he comes out slinging it.
The Texans did some things this offseason that should help Stroud immensely, like patching up the problematic offensive line with free-agent additions with offensive guard Wyatt Teller, offensive guard Evan Brown, and offensive tackle Braden Smith. General manager Nick Caserio also went out and got Stroud a quality running back in Detroit’s David Montgomery, which should take some pressure off.
But Stroud hasn’t rested on any of that. He has gone into the lab this offseason and put in the work, and you can see it – as much as one can when the players are in shirts and shorts, and the quarterback is untouchable – in the accuracy, confidence, and leadership he is displaying on the field.
“I think I’m a motivated person, regardless of how we ended or how I did,” Stroud said. “Of course, that definitely helps, but I really learned in my life that you’ve got to learn to let failures go, let successes go just as quick as you would do a win. You’ve got to learn from it and move on, so that’s what I did.”
Move on, it seems he has.
“C.J. is doing a great job all offseason. It’s probably the first time he’s had a full offseason,” said Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, whose success is directly tied to the quarterback he was a part of taking with the No.2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. “He’s been dedicated to the work. He’s done a really great job of, first and foremost, just being here, being accountable, owning the reps, doing a great job of communicating with the staff, with the players.
“He’s doing a great job of just taking more ownership of the offense. I am just excited to see what this season entails for him, because he’s having a really great start to it, being here in the offseason.”
But not to ruin this Kumbaya moment, there is some nuance to this whole conversation, and it comes down to money. Stroud is eligible for a massive contract extension this offseason, and so far, there hasn’t been any agreement.
Rest assured, one is coming. The Texans recently signed defensive end Will Anderson, Jr., who was drafted one spot behind Stroud in that 2023 draft, to a historic three-year, $150 million contract this offseason. It’s the biggest payday of any non-quarterback to date.
The precedent and expectations have been established.
The Texans aren’t talking yet, and Stroud insists he’s focused on football and will let the chips fall as they may. The negotiations are clearly ongoing.
“I mean, I let my agent handle it. If it’s time to do it, then it is,” Stroud said. “My job is football, that’s what I focus on is just getting better. I think I’ve held my bargain up on that end, so whatever happens, happens. I’m excited to be a Texan this year and go from there.”
