To sign quarterback C.J. Stroud to a lucrative contract extension or not. That remains the question the Houston Texans are trying to answer, though they're using proof of concept (or lack thereof) to shape their thought process.
Houston is seemingly learning how to proceed by examining what other organizations have done wrong. Clubs like the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals miscalculated by paying their highly touted, albeit volatile, signal-callers too soon. And so, recent NFL memory has become a cautionary tale for the Texans amid their situation with Stroud, per FanSided's Jason La Canfora.
La Canfora believes the Texans aren't in any rush to reward Stroud with a long-term commitment. The insider also cited an anonymous general manager saying the Texans' top decision-maker, Nick Caserio, won't "make the same mistake the Dolphins and Cardinals" did.
"[Caserio's] not going to be in a hurry to do anything," La Canfora wrote. "Stroud has to go out and prove it."
Texans are using painful NFL lessons to inform their decision on C.J. Stroud
Neither Tua Tagovailoa nor Kyler Murray made it to the end of the franchise-altering pacts they secured in Miami and Arizona, respectively. Both players left a trail of destruction in their wake; each squad took on significant dead cap to release them. The pitfalls of the Dolphins' and Cardinals' misfires are ostensibly causing the Texans to think twice before investing heavily in Stroud.
The Texans exercised Stroud's fully guaranteed $25.904 million fifth-year option on April 8, locking him into team control for the next two seasons. Time is on Caserio and the front office's side, and they're apparently going to use it to their advantage. La Canfora "would be pretty surprised" if Houston doesn't put negotiations on hold until 2027.
There are "buyer-beware signals all over the place with [Stroud's] regression the past two years," as La Canfora highlighted. The 2023 No. 2 overall pick's implosion in the playoffs last season reportedly had rival executives "wondering about his future in Houston." Meanwhile, the Texans' brass has continued to endorse Stroud.
However, actions speak louder. The Texans haven't put their money where their mouth is thus far — literally. Stroud doesn't have a massive deal that aligns with what we've been hearing, and there are no signs of one coming anytime soon.
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