Texans GM Nick Caserio Provides Insight on the C.J. Stroud Contract Negotiations

The Houston Texans had a solid showing in 2025 as they went 12-5 and won in the Wild Card Round, but major offensive struggles throughout the year proved to be too much to overcome as Houston fell to the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round by a score of 28-16. Speaking of the offensive struggles, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud do not play his best throughout the 2025 season, but particularly in the playoffs where he struggled with turnovers and finding consistent offense which was a major reason why Houston's season ended against the Patriots. So, as a result of Stroud's struggles he and the Texans have not yet agreed to terms on a contract extension mainly because of Stroud's inconsistent performance since his rookie year where he played quite well. Recently, Pro Football Talk played a clip from a Texans press conference where Caserio provided an update on the situation. "You know, we've had productive discussions. I would say the reality is we'll get it figured out before the season starts, and if we don't get it figured out before the season starts, then something we address in the offseason. So, you know, whenever it happens, it happens. Yeah, every situation is going to be different," Caserio said. As Caserio talked about, the contract has not been signed yet, and if it is not done before the season, Houston will wait until next offseason to handle it. On Stroud's side, this was totally avoidable had he played better throughout the 2025 season and in the postseason, but because his performance has not been consistent, he and the Texans are now trying to come to an agreement that may very well have to wait until next offseason. Later on PFT, co-host Chris Simms also had some thoughts on how Houston should progress with Stroud and the contract negotiations. "And yeah, if I was Houston, I wouldn't want to throw anything major out there right now. I wouldn't. I'd be scared. I in fact, I wouldn't want to do anything. I wouldn't I would want to go I got to see it this year. We got to see it. You got to be better. You got to handle yourself better. And I think that's probably part of it, too. You know, a little bit of the maturing of CJ Stroud," Simms said. Just like Simms said, Stroud needs to be better than he was a season ago, and with that in mind it does seem more likely that Houston will want to wait on making a decision on Stroud rather than making one this offseason. Looking at Stroud's stats from 2025, he did not perform well enough to earn this extension, as he played in just 14 games and totaled 3,041 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and completed 64.5 percent of his passes. Simply put, the production that Stroud gave the Texans last season was not that of a franchise quarterback, and if Houston is going to extend Stroud, they need to believe that he can be a franchise quarterback and at this point, that is not the case. However, Stroud does have an opportunity to prove he can be a franchise quarterback with a much better performance in 2026. With the regular season just a week away, it will be interesting to see if Stroud and the Texans can strike a deal, and if they cannot, it is going to be very important for Stroud to perform well next season to earn the extension. Otherwise, next offseason could involve some very uncomfortable conversations for both sides.