Former Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud is trending toward risky grounds with his Houston Texans’ contract situation
C.J. Stroud’s NFL tenure is getting very interesting heading into his fourth season with the Houston Texans. The latest contract update for Stroud points toward a potential delay coming.
C.J. Stroud was an absolute star in Columbus with the Ohio State Buckeyes, which led him to be the No. 2 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. Stroud’s NFL career has been up and down so far, and it’s making his current contract situation tough.
Stroud is entering the fourth season of his rookie contract, which includes a fifth-year option for the Houston Texans. The former Buckeye is eligible for a contract extension with three seasons played, but it sounds like he may not receive the payday anytime soon.
C.J. Stroud may have to bet on himself for his next NFL contract
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler provided an update on where contract talks stand between Stroud and the Texans on Monday. At this time, things are at a standstill between the two sides.
Not a lot of momentum on a deal, talks are essentially on pause as of now,” Fowler stated. “Houston has been aggressive paying players, they’ve been paying defensive players like Daniel Hunter, Will Anderson, Azeez Al-Shaair. So, if they want to take care of Stroud, they’re going to have to make some progress this summer.”
Otherwise, there are some people around the league who very much believe he will play out the fourth year of his deal, try to get his value up. This is similar to the Trevor Lawrence situation, a couple of years ago. You have a top pick who showed some good and some bad. You got to decide, do you pay him early or do you wait?”
Stroud dazzled as a rookie with 4,108 passing yards and 23 touchdowns through the air to just five interceptions. The problem is that the former Buckeye has not been the same player since his rookie season. Stroud had a 20-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2024, then had 19 passing touchdowns to eight interceptions last season. The rookie season set a high bar for what Stroud can be, and he’s been unable to match it since.
The Houston QB is trending toward playing out his fourth season with no new contract. It’s a risk with no future guaranteed locked in, and in an ideal world, a contract would be done before the season starts. However, it’s understandable why the Texans may want to see another season from their QB before paying up huge money.
C.J. Stroud’s Ohio State career sure looked like a player who would sign a big second NFL contract
Stroud was a two-year starter for the Buckeyes under head coach Ryan Day and he left Columbus with 85 passing touchdowns to just 12 interceptions. 2021 was Stroud’s first year as a starter and he threw for 4,435 passing yards, 44 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 12 games. The California native followed it up with 3,688 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, and six interceptions in 2022.
Stroud was the last quarterback to start back-to-back years at Ohio State, until current QB Julian Sayin does it this fall. Stroud made all of the throws needed in Columbus and commanded the position at a high level. His strong play carried over into his rookie season, but it’s been a bumpy ride since.