{"id":861861,"date":"2026-04-09T00:06:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T00:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/861861\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T00:06:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T00:06:23","slug":"houston-texans-make-decision-on-c-j-strouds-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/861861\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Texans make decision on C.J. Stroud’s future"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the NFL<\/a> begins offseason workouts, teams are evaluating their rosters and preparing for scenarios surrounding the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

The deadline to pick up fifth-year options for first-round picks from the 2023 draft class is also approaching, and some teams have already declined those options.<\/p>\n

The Houston Texans face an interesting situation. They have picked up star defender Will Anderson\u2019s option but still needed to decide on quarterback C.J. Stroud.<\/p>\n

MORE: 2026 NFL Draft quarterback\u2019s stock takes big hit<\/a><\/p>\n

It appears they have made that decision.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) greets Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers following their AFC Wild Card Round game at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Reports<\/a> indicate the Texans have exercised Stroud\u2019s fifth-year option, guaranteeing he will remain on the roster through at least the 2027 season \u2014 barring an unforeseen trade.<\/p>\n

Stroud has been a somewhat polarizing figure since the end of Houston\u2019s 2025 season. His play has not taken the step forward many expected.<\/p>\n

However, he has led the Texans to the postseason in each of his first three seasons. Most recently, he secured the franchise\u2019s first road playoff victory.<\/p>\n

MORE: Six-year NFL veteran announces immediate retirement at 31<\/a><\/p>\n

His performance in the 2025 playoffs, though, was far from dominant. Stroud turned the ball over at a high rate and failed to advance past the divisional round once again.<\/p>\n

\"\"Dec 14, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) celebrates with wide receiver Nico Collins (12) after a touchdown during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The former Ohio State standout also endured a fairly pedestrian, injury-filled 2025 campaign. After a stellar rookie season, he has yet to make the anticipated leap.<\/p>\n

Injuries to his supporting cast have contributed to that. Nico Collins and Tank Dell have both dealt with injuries over the past two seasons.<\/p>\n

MORE: Kirk Cousins reveals \u2018life-giving\u2019 Tom Brady call behind Raiders move<\/a><\/p>\n

Dell missed the entire 2025 season. Stroud had strongly advocated for him during the 2023 season and quickly developed chemistry with the receiver.<\/p>\n

\"C.J.New Orleans Saints v Houston Texans | Cooper Neill\/GettyImages<\/p>\n

Stroud will enter his fourth season with his role secure, but the Texans may view this year as a proving ground for further development. If he fails to take that next step, the team could explore trade options in 2027.<\/p>\n

That scenario remains unlikely, however, given the difficulty of moving his cap hit if the Texans choose to move on.<\/p>\n

For now, Stroud remains Houston\u2019s quarterback for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the NFL begins offseason workouts, teams are evaluating their rosters and preparing for scenarios surrounding the 2026…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":861862,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2056],"tags":[1028,7,221,253,2368,6,222],"class_list":{"0":"post-861861","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston-texans","8":"tag-c-j-stroud","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-houston","11":"tag-houston-texans","12":"tag-houstontexans","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-texans"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116371837853393883","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=861861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/861862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=861861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=861861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=861861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}