Earlier this spring, Houston Texans owner Cal McNair insisted that he was “totally behind” starting quarterback C.J. Stroud after Stroud endured rough playoff outings this past January.
The Texans have since picked up the fifth-year option for 2027 attached to Stroud’s contract, but it remains unclear if the club will attempt to sign the 24-year-old to a multiyear extension before the 2026 season gets underway. While speaking with reporters on Monday, McNair once again addressed the uncertain future of the team’s QB1.
Texans “fully committed” to C.J. Stroud, but for how long?
“Well, as you know, we’ll leave that up with [general manager Nick Caserio], and those communications are behind the scenes,” McNair said when asked if the Texans could sign Stroud to an extension this spring or summer, as shared by Michael Baca of the NFL’s website. “But yeah, we’re fully committed to C.J. I think you saw we extended … we exercised his fifth-year option. So, we’ll see how it all works out.”
Once again, McNair noticeably stopped short of making any real guarantee about signing Stroud to the type of contract that would keep him attached to the club beyond the 2027 campaign. Meanwhile, a recent story noted that executives around the league are seemingly split on whether or not Houston should pay Stroud after he was intercepted five times and lost two of five fumbles over his last two playoff appearances. He is responsible for a career postseason record of 3-3, and he has seemingly regressed since he earned Offensive Rookie of the Year Award honors for the 2023 campaign.
Why DeMeco Ryans is “proud” of C.J. Stroud this spring
Also on Monday, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans made it known that he’s “proud” of how Stroud has handled things over the past handful of months.
“C.J. has done a really great job all offseason of just continuing to be locked in, continuing to prepare the right way,” Ryans explained. “He’s been dialed in to our strength sessions, coaching sessions and our meetings. He’s been dialed in and very into it, and that’s all you can ask for all our guys at this time.”
Unless Stroud actually puts pen to paper on an extension, some understandably will continue to wonder if McNair, Caserio and Ryans truly view the veteran of three seasons as a legitimate franchise quarterback. McNair’s comments wouldn’t necessarily lead one to believe the two sides are all that close to coming to terms on a deal amid springtime workouts.