Two years ago at this time, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Houston Texans and quarterback CJ Stroud were only in the infancy stages of what would end up being a long and successful partnership that would hopefully take the NFL's youngest franchise to heights it had never before reached.
To some extent, this is exactly how things played out. CJ Stroud won Rookie of the Year and was a dark horse MVP candidate as well by the time the 2023 season concluded. The Texans have made the Playoffs three years in a row, which is a concept that was foreign to this franchise up until this year. Additionally, Stroud is only the 7th quarterback in NFL history to have at least 28 regular season wins and 10,000 passing yards in his first three NFL seasons, joining Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan, Dan Marino, Dak Prescott, Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton in this unique club.
But with the way Stroud's 2025 campaign ended, there's newfound concern about his ability to be The Man for the Texans in the way this franchise needs him to be. While it's not necessarily fair to say that Stroud has regressed in each of his three seasons as a pro, it is fair to suggest that neither Stroud's second or third season in the NFL was as productive, impressive or promising as his rookie year was. And that creates a conundrum for the Houston Texans heading into the offseason.
As he enters his fourth NFL season, Stroud is eligible for a contract extension that could make him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. 24 months ago, the idea that the Texans wouldn't be rushing to give Stroud this extension would've seemed insane. Now, it's very possible that general manager Nick Caserio has woken up many nights with cold sweats, second-guessing himself on whether the Texans should go all in on a quarterback who hasn't lived up to the standard he established during his rookie season.
On CJ Stroud's part, there is no second-guessing. While addressing members of the media on Monday afternoon, Stroud made it crystal clear that he hopes to stick around in Houston for the long haul, but in the same breath, he acknowledged the decision is ultimately out of his hands.
"Yeah, I mean, it's not in my control," Stroud said of a possible extension offer. "I did what I did on the field the last three years, and I started off my career in a very great way. I'm 24, got a lot of ball left ahead of me, and I think I look back at my career and I'm doing a lot of things that, early in my career, a lot of people haven't done. So I'm grateful for that, and I know it's not just me. It's my teammates, it's my coaches, it's the organization."
Ultimately, the decision on whether the extend Stroud this offseason shouldn't come down the final game of the season, a 28-16 loss to the New England Patriots in which Stroud was intercepted four times, but it will undoubtedly be part of the calculus that informs the decision. With that said, Stroud has put the loss on his own shoulders already, and just like Alexander Hamilton did 250 years ago -- or 10 years ago, depending on if you believe the songs in Hamilton embellished on a few details -- Stroud just wants the opportunity to prove he's capable of more. He's not throwing away his shot.
"I wish it didn't go that way. My intent was never that, and my intent is always to go out there and ball, and play as best as I can, and it didn't happen. But I know that I can do that. So I just hope... everybody gives me a shot to do it again."