For at least the next few months, Houston Texans fans are going to have a difficult time getting one particular image of CJ Stroud out of their head. For the record, I don't know exactly what that image is going to be. For some, it may be one of the four interceptions he threw against the New England Patriots. For others, it may be one of the five fumbles he had in the previous round of the Playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Or it could be the image above... Stroud walking off the field in Foxborough after last Sunday's loss to the Patriots, looking absolutely heartbroken by both his own performance and the realization that it was the biggest factor in why Houston's season ended in Divisional Round of the Playoffs for the third consecutive year. While we don't know whether Stroud was thinking about how this loss would impact his future in Houston, we do know that everywhere else, this conversation had already started.
CJ Stroud will be entering his fourth year in the NFL next season and that means that it's time the Texans start really considering whether a lucrative contract extension is in the former 2nd overall pick's future. The fact that this is even a conversation after Stroud lit the NFL on fire during his rookie season in 2023 tells you how far the 24-year-old signal-caller has fallen in just two years time.
And make no mistake, this isn't a hasty, prisoner of the moment take. Sure, two disastrous postseason games certainly didn't help matters as it relates to CJ Stroud's standing with the Houston Texans, but a year two regression followed by a year three plateau have dimmed Stroud's once bright star to the extent that what once felt like a no-brainer decision now requires a long conversation.
Unfortunately for almost all parties involved, it's a conversation that Texans general manager Nick Caserio doesn't seem to be too eager to have, at least out in the open.
“I would say contractually, we haven't talked publicly about anybody's contract. I would say every situation with every player is case by case, so we'll handle business how we handle business," Caserio told members of the media in his end of season presser. "Everybody is in different categories, so we'll take it case by case and deal with one player at a time.”
Despite the best attempts of every member of the press that was there for Caserio's address who tried to get the Texans GM to dish on what the plan was with Stroud -- in total, there were seven questions asked that were directly related to CJ Stroud -- the fifth-year general manager remained tight-lipped regarding Houston's plans, though at each turn, he did consistently come to the defense of the quarterback he drafted 2nd overall just three years ago.
"CJ had a really good season. He's done a lot of great things. He’s done a lot of great things for his team, a lot of great things for this organization," Caserio said of Stroud. "Any time you pass John Elway in terms of what you've accomplished in a short period of time, talking about a Hall of Fame quarterback. CJ played good football this year. It wasn't our best day as a team when you go back and look at the game from Sunday."
One thing that Caserio was pretty firm on was the fact that the Texans would use a larger body of work than just one or two games to evaluate the performances not only of CJ Stroud, but everyone on this Texans roster.
“If we want to go game by game, we don't win the Kansas City game without CJ Stroud. Again, that's one game. He'll be the first to tell you he didn't play well on Sunday. I'm not going to sit here and tell you he played well either. He knows that. In the end, got to learn from it. What can we do better? Moving forward… Look at his body of work. This guy has been a damn good quarterback in this league for three years. It's the truth. Again, you want to look at everything in totality and every player, look at their situation. It's all case by case.”