C.J. Stroud’s disastrous performance in the Texans divisional round loss to the Patriots will force some tough conversations this offseason
The Texans’ defense gave it all it had, but C.J. Stroud sank the team’s chances of advancing to the AFC Championship, and that could cause some tough conversations this offseason.
The Houston Texans had a massive opportunity in front of them in the divisional round, and their defense did everything in their power to try to bring home the win. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to overcome the disastrous play of QB C.J. Stroud, who put the team in a nearly impossible-to-win situation throughout.
A win against the New England Patriots would have sent the Texans to their first-ever AFC Championship game to take on the Denver Broncos and backup QB Jarrett Stidham. The franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance was right there for the taking, but Stroud finishing 20/47, 212 yards, four interceptions, and only one touchdown ended that dream.
Instead, they drop to 0-7 all-time in the divisional round and head into the offseason feeling as if they wasted such a talented group. There will be some tough conversations surrounding the Texans’ offense and, more specifically, Stroud. The time has come to decide what to do with the future of his contract, and it won’t be an easy choice to make.
C.J. Stroud made the Texans’ upcoming offseason harder than it needed to be
This offseason, the Texans have some big decisions to make on their 2023 first-round selections, Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. Both are eligible for extensions. The team can pick up their fifth-year options to push the extension down the road.
When it comes to star players, teams often bypass the fifth-year option and move directly to the extension. Many expect that to be the case for Anderson, who proved himself one of the best defenders in the NFL this season. Stroud, on the other hand, just had an abysmal showing in the team’s playoff loss to the Patriots, a performance that has to make the team at least question handing him a five-year, roughly $300 million contract.
Texans backup Davis Mills made four starts this year and led the team to a 3-1 record. His lone loss in that stretch came at the hands of the Broncos in a narrow 18-15 defeat. In two of his three wins, the team scored 20+ points, including a stellar 36 vs. the Jaguars.
The best decision for the Texans might make things worse for Stroud
Mills finished with five touchdowns and only one interception during that stretch and brought some needed stability to the QB position for Houston. Now, I do not think the Texans should consider benching Stroud in favor of Mills in 2026 and beyond. I do, however, think it showed the team how successful they could be with a more stable option manning the position.
I don’t think the Texans can hand Stroud a massive extension after how he played in this year’s playoffs. The logical step is to pick up his fifth-year option and push off the extension decision another year. The problem, though, is that a lot of Stroud’s struggles on the field stem from how he plays after his confidence is shaken early, and telling him now that they are not ready to extend him would certainly hurt his confidence more.
The QB position is the most important in football. If a team knows they have their guy, they don’t use that fifth-year option very often nowadays as they work quickly to get the pen to the paper on an extension. The problem for the Texans is that there now has to be some worry in the building about whether Stroud’s rookie season success is an outlier at this point. I don’t envy the Texans’ decision-makers right now, that’s for sure.
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