AFC Divisional Playoffs: Houston Texans v New England Patriots
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The 2026 season could be make-or-break for quarterback C.J. Stroud regarding his tenure with the Houston Texans. But don't expect the franchise to move away from him just yet. General manager Nick Caserio insisted that the Texans have no plans to trade Stroud ahead of his fourth season and that any suggestion to the contrary is "moronic."

Multiple factors contributed to the murmurs of a potential trade. Most importantly, Stroud enters the final year of his rookie contract in Houston and regressed on an annual basis, by multiple measures, since his fantastic 2023 debut season. The Texans' long-term commitment to Stroud is uncertain, even with Caserio standing up for him as the 2026 starter.

"He's our quarterback," Caserio said at the NFL Combine of Stroud. "He ain't going anywhere. We have a lot of confidence, a lot of belief. The philosophy DeMeco and I have, we're going to support our players and do everything we can to help them."

The Texans could pick up a $27 million club option to keep Stroud on board through 2027. The Ohio State product is also now extension-eligible. 

"He have a lot of confidence in C.J.," Caserio said. "We got a lot of confidence in our players. We're glad he's our quarterback."

Stroud opened his professional career as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and led the league with 273.9 passing yards per game as a first-year standout. Since then, however, his output has dwindled significantly. He passed for a career-worst 217.2 yards per game last season and struggled mightily in the postseason with five interceptions across two contests. Including both regular-season and postseason games, Stroud tossed exactly 13 interceptions in each of the last two years after logging just five as a rookie.

"This league is about ups and downs," Caserio said. "Nothing is perfect. There was no team that was undefeated, unless I missed something, this year. That's not going to happen. By and large, you're probably going to lose five or six games. There will be some margin on either side.

"You're going to have some good plays. You're going to have some bad plays. You're going to have some good games. You're going to have some bad games. How do you bounce back? How do you handle that? This league is a one game at a time proposition. How you handle it, every situation, ultimately is going to determine your success and your longevity."

If the Texans hold off on awarding Stroud an extension this offseason, they would effectively delay their decision on his long-term future by a year. Picking up his club option in 2027 would further delay the potentially inevitable. But on the same token, affording Stroud another opportunity to rekindle his rookie-season magic could be precisely what the former No. 2 overall pick needs to get his career back on track.