For the last three seasons, the Houston Texans have enjoyed a franchise resurgence with the help of elite head coaching, a quality young core and financially effective general management.
Since 2023, the team has gone 32-19 with back-to-back AFC South Titles and three consecutive AFC playoff berths, led on both sides of the ball by the second and third-overall picks of that year’s draft in quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
The duo have helped change the fortunes of the Texans, all while keeping things cheap for general manager Nick Caserio since they’ve been playing on rookie deals. However, after this past season, things are about to be much more expensive for the front office.
Because, the two franchise cornerstones in Stroud and Anderson are now eligible for both fifth-year options and eventual lucrative contract extensions after completing their first three years of service. We haven’t heard much from the team on a potential timeline of when they are to be compensated for their projected future production. That is until today, after KPRC2’s Texans Insider Aaron Wison provided an update on the club’s thinking regarding Stroud and Anderson’s respective contract plans.
Texans planning to secure both Stroud and Anderson ahead of 2026
Wilson gave an update on Stroud and Anderson after speaking with head coach DeMeco Ryans from the annual league meeting in Phoenix today. Even though Ryans didn’t provide much detail in terms of direct updates on the two, Wilson provided his own evidence that says the team is committed to address both Stroud and Anderson in the near future.
“Texans DeMeco Ryans reiterated his long-standing policy not discussing contracts on Will Anderson Jr., C.J. Stroud fifth-year options. The team is expected to use the fifth-year option for Stroud, and have discussed potential blockbuster contract extension for Anderson, per league sources.”
Houston planning to give Anderson a blockbuster extension is a no-brainer at this juncture, as Anderson is already one of the most destructive pass rushers in the NFL at only 24 years old. Across his first three years as a Texan, Anderson has racked up 136 total tackles (91 solo, 45 assist), 30 sacks, four forced fumbles (three recovered), six passes defended and 32 run stuffs. His play has earned him an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, two Pro-Bowl nods, one First-Team All Pro selection and a runner-up finish for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
A market-setting contract for Anderson would be much deserved, and it would represent the official cementing of Anderson as an integral part of the team’s plans for now and the future. His numbers would most likely exceed that of Green Bay Packers pass rusher Micah Parsons, who currently owns the highest APY for a defensive player in the NFL at $46.5 million after signing a four-year, $186 million contract in 2025 (per Spotrac).
In Stroud’s case however, a fifth-year option pick-up this offseason seems to be the most reasonable outcome considering how his past three seasons have gone.
Texans leaning towards picking up C.J. Stroud’s fifth-year option
As is par for the proverbial “course” in these matters, a team picking up the fifth-year option of a first round draft pick is normally the first step towards negotiating a long-term deal with the player. In some cases, a player would have to really flame out quickly for a team to not even consider doing that. As an example, this was the case with the Los Angeles Chargers and their former guard in Zion Johnson, who’s now a Cleveland Brown after signing with the team in free agency after his fifth-year option wasn’t picked up.
For Stroud, a big-money extension seemed like a certainty after year one, seeing as though he shattered expectations with one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history. After putting up over 4,000 yards and 20 touchdowns and leading his team to its first AFC playoff berth since 2019, Stroud was rewarded with the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
He was a legitimate household name in the 2024 offseason, appearing on video traveling around the world alongside the aforementioned Parsons in the immediate aftermath of his prolific rookie year. Then, that’s when the wheels began falling off, and the glow that Stroud had all of a sudden began to fade.
From 2024-present, Stroud struggled to recapture his rookie form, gradually looking more uncomfortable with each passing performance. Although the team made the playoffs in both years, it was more attributed to a developing defense that would go on to become the best unit in the league this past year.
The worst then happened in back-to-back playoff games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, as Stroud collapsed to the tune of seven total turnovers (five interceptions, two lost fumbles) across the two contests. It was arguably the worst stretch of playoff football for a quarterback in league history, and now Stroud has been labeled as the face of disappointment and unmet expectations across the sports media landscape.
However, even after the 24-year old’s recent struggles, the team has frequently maintained a public stance of support and confidence with their franchise passer. Head coach DeMeco Ryans expressed as much to Wilson today when Stroud came up:
“For me, to CJ, I let him know that again. Just reaffirm that support for him. And also, I see a guy who's dialed into the offseason. He's in full grind right now. So, I'm excited to see what comes from the work that he's putting in. It's only going to be better. The mindset is right. Physically, he's in a really good space, mentally in a really good space. So I'm excited to see him get back to work.”
Stroud now faces a reality where, even though he has the public backing of his team, he may enter 2026 with only a fifth-year option and no long-term deal in place. That would keep him in Houston for the next two seasons at least, with a chance for the two sides to re-visit negotiations in the 2027 offseason.
While the circumstance is not a complete disaster for Stroud, it’s still a far cry from the 100% certainty that everyone had about his trajectory after year one.