Speaking to the media from the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio finally gave a definitive statement on the trade ideas surrounding his 24-year old quarterback in C.J. Stroud. In short, it’s one of the dumbest things he’s heard lately.
Analyst Aaron Wilson, who covers the Texans for KPRC2, shared what Caserio said in response to being asked about the Stroud rumors.
"It's moronic. We're not trading the guy. He's our quarterback. He's going to be playing quarterback for the Houston Texans in 2026."
Caserio went on to add, "We have a lot of confidence in C.J.."
He’s not wrong.
National media machine fully fixed on Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud
Trade speculation has been running rampant ever since the Texans flamed out 28-16 in the AFC Divisional round against the New England Patriots over a month ago.
The central reason was four first-half interceptions by Stroud. This was in addition to the three previous turnovers (two fumbles, one interception) Stroud was responsible for against the Pittsburgh Steelers the week before at Acrisure Stadium in a 30-6 Texans Wildcard victory.
That, and a perceived two-years worth of regression in play quality, has created the fractured image of Stroud’s once pristine on-field image that we have now.
 As a result, calls for a change of scenery have come from several corners of the national media space. Names like former quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr, and even NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay have all floated some variation of the conversation, helping fuel much of the hysteria surrounding the third-year Ohio State product.
Trading Stroud makes no practical sense for the Texans
While it makes for great shock material in print and overall content creation, the thought of moving a sub-25-year-old quarterback that’s helped transform a moribund franchise and has multiple years' worth of playoff success/experience in only three years of NFL play is extremely short-sighted in the real world (3-3 playoff record, undefeated in the AFC Wildcard round).
Moves like that are why franchises stay bad for decades at a time. Speaking of, the Texans aren’t that far removed from a three-year stretch (2020-2023) where they went a combined 11-38-1, ranked bottom-five in the NFL in each of those seasons, and were regarded as one of the biggest dumpster fires in all of professional sports.
Even the acquisition of Stroud himself was controversial, as Houston was a 2023 Week 18 Davis Mills Hail Mary away from securing the first overall pick in the draft.
In that scenario, there’s a great chance that the Texans would’ve selected current Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young at first overall. With hindsight in effect, the Texans dodged a bullet by avoiding Young’s tumultuous first two years in the league.
C.J. Stroud has been one of the best playoff performers in the AFC
As a final thought, consider Stroud’s individual playoff record compared to that of other AFC quarterbacks as of late.
Since his debut in 2023, Stroud is tied for the third-most postseason victories in the AFC over the last three seasons (1. Patrick Mahomes - 6, 2. Josh Allen - 4, T-3. Drake Maye - 3). Additionally, he’s already the Texans’ franchise leader in wins (3) and games played overall (6) in the playoffs at the quarterback position.Â
Caserio has the right mentality. Stroud has helped carry the weight of Houston’s winning aspirations since the age of 22 and onward.
He’s been the starter from day one, not having the luxury of a high-quality veteran presence in the quarterback room to learn from in how to conduct himself as a leader of men at the pro level (Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, Alex Smith to Patrick Mahomes, etc.)
Stroud is taking his lumps now, as anyone else of his elk has at this point in their careers. When the expectation is a Super Bowl championship, all eyes are going to be on you.
It’s now on Stroud to restabilize himself and reward the trust of those like Caserio who have publicly planted their flag on the notion that he’s one of the best young passers in the game.
He’s shown it once, and Caserio firmly believes he can show it again.