It's not uncommon to hear the phrase 'New year, new me' around the time that the calendar page flips from December to January. Everyone is eager to start the new year off on the right foot, and often times, what follows this shift in mindset is a literal change that even those who are on the outside looking in can see.
Although technically he waited until the month of February to do so, Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud made a rather noticeable change to his appearance this week, shedding his trademark dreads for a fresh new fade that's bound to have fans all around the National Football League doing a double take.
Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud will look a little different when he takes his helmet off next year…Thanks to @HoustonWigQueen and Stroud’s personal barber KaseKuttz @KATCH_A_KASE #Texans #Sarge #BigSargeMedia pic.twitter.com/SK3CfQR0co
— BIG SARGE MEDIA LLC (@BigSargeSportz) February 3, 2026
CJ Stroud's new look off the field has naturally gotten plenty of headlines, but his historically poor performance on the field during the 2025 postseason is what Texans fans will be thinking about well into the summer when the Houston Texans report to training camp and gear up for a 2026 campaign in which there will once again be Super Bowl expectations that come down to whether Stroud can make the leap that we all expected him to during his rookie season.
CJ Stroud, Year 1 | CJ Stroud, Year 2 | CJ Stroud, Year 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Passing Yards | 4,108 yards | 3,727 yards | 3,041 yards |
Total Touchdowns | 26 | 20 | 20 |
Interceptions | 5 | 12 | 8 |
Completion % | 63.9% | 63.2% | 64.5% |
Passer Rating | 100.8 | 87.0 | 92.9 |
Yards Per Attempt | 8.2 | 7.0 | 7.2 |
Considering how stellar CJ Stroud performed as a rookie while unexpectedly leading the Houston Texans to a postseason berth, it defies logic that his two subsequent seasons have played out this way. Stroud had unusual command as a first year player and displayed a knack for upping his game in the moments when the Texans needed him to come through most. But since then, Stroud has looked lost, skittish and at times overwhelmed. The Playoffs were the clearest example of this bewildering regression.
If Stroud is as successful at regaining his form as he was reinventing his look, then the Texans could be in business in 2026 as a Super Bowl contender, and if that's the case, then all of the peripheral chatter about whether the Texans would be making a poor decision to offer him a lucrative contract extension would quiet down in a hurry.
But if this hairstyle change doesn't lead to any sort of change on the gridiron, then we'll officially be at the point where no change to his appearance could distract Texans fans from one of the most consequential financial decisions that the franchise has ever faced.