The Houston Texans had a strong 2025 campaign, winning 12 games and emerging as a Super Bowl threat heading into the postseason. The team’s vaunted defense—which held foes to an average of just 277.2 yards and 17.4 points per game during the regular season—largely did its job during the playoffs, but the offense cratered when it mattered most.
The main issue that plagued Houston during its two-game playoff run was quarterback C.J. Stroud.
While Stroud looked to be a franchise centerpiece after earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2023 and went on to win playoff games in back-to-back years to open his career, he hasn’t been trending in the right direction. Stroud regressed as a sophomore and didn’t show any significant improvements last year before his playoff meltdown sunk Houston’s chances of winning its first Super Bowl.
The Texans still managed to dispatch a middling Pittsburgh Steelers squad in the Wild Card round by a 30-6 margin despite Stroud’s erratic throws, questionable decision-making and three turnovers, but those issues only grew worse the following week in a winnable game against the New England Patriots.
The Pats exposed the 24-year-old’s mechanical and mental flaws in that Divisional clash, limiting Stroud to a meager 20 completions on 47 attempts, 212 passing yards and one touchdown while intercepting him on four occasions.
It should be quite telling that the Texans, a team with a history of quickly issuing long-term extensions to its homegrown stars, has thus far declined to extend Stroud. Despite agreeing with Will Anderson Jr.—the player who went one pick after Stroud near the top of the 2023 draft—on a record-setting three-year, $150 million deal, the Texans appear content to wait and see if Stroud can recover from his playoff collapse.
While the gamble could backfire and cause Houston to pay far more to retain Stroud if he re-emerges as one of the league’s best signal-callers, it could also save the franchise from a costly mistake. If Stroud remains broken and can’t elevate the Texans to a Super Bowl level, it could be best for both parties to split once his rookie deal expires after the 2027 campaign.