Barring a last-minute breakthrough in negotiations, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud will play this season without a new contract, according to multiple reports.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio said the front office wouldn’t discuss a new deal during the regular season, which begins Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
ESPN reported Saturday that Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick in 2023, made an effort through his agent to progress toward an extension. He was selected one spot ahead of Texans outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. The Texans signed Anderson to a three-year, $150 million extension days before the 2026 NFL Draft.
Entering the fourth year of his four-year deal, Stroud also is under contract through 2027 due to the team option being picked up by the Texans in April. He’s guaranteed $25.9 million for next season.
“We’ve had productive discussions, I would say,” Caserio said at the end of training camp. “And the reality is, will either get it figured out before the season starts, and if we don’t get it figured out before the season starts, then there’s something we address in the offseason. So, you know, whenever it happens, it happens.”
Stroud had 3,041 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions in the 2025 regular season and missed three games due to a concussion. His playoff performance created doubt about his place in the upper-echelon of NFL quarterbacks in some circles, but head coach DeMeco Ryans declared his loyalty to Stroud in the offseason.
The AFC champion Patriots intercepted Stroud four times in the first half of the AFC divisional playoff matchup in January. He had seven turnovers in two playoff games.
Several prominent quarterbacks are set to enter contract talks in the next several months, including Lamar Jackson (Ravens), Caleb Williams (Bears) and Drake Maye (Patriots).
Stroud, who turns 25 in October, hasn’t publicly discussed the contract matter since July 29 at the start of training camp, saying he would leave the business side to his agent, David Mulugheta.
Caserio said if a deal wasn’t done by Sunday, it would become “something we address in the offseason.”
