The Houston Texans are increasingly signaling that it is a matter of when, not if, C.J. Stroud will receive a contract extension.
The latest hint that that could be the case comes from Texans owner Cal McNair.
McNair has said that he is leaving the roster and football operations to Texans general manager Nick Caserio (and head coach DeMeco Ryans). However, he continues to express his support for the former No. 2 overall selection of the 2023 draft.
Texans Owner Sends Clear Message on C.J. Stroud
GettyC.J. Stroud has yet to land a long-term contract extension from the Houston Texans.
McNair, who did an entire produced segment poking fun at a missed high-five with Stroud after a game, was essentially echoing his previous remarks.
“We’ll leave that up with Nick, and those communications are behind the scenes,” McNair told KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson on May 4. “But yeah, we’re fully committed to C.J. I think you saw, we … exercised his fifth-year option. And so, we’ll see how it all works out.”
The consistency that ownership is “totally behind” Stroud remains noteworthy, though.
“He’s totally bought into being our quarterback and all that entails,” McNair said, per The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander in April. “We all want to get better every year. He’s doing that. We’re doing that. Everyone is doing that in the organization. Everybody is trying to get better every day.”
Stroud has led the Texans to the playoffs in each of his three seasons in the league. That is the first such streak of the franchise’s history, and it snapped a drought of equal length.
Stroud has garnered consistent verbal support from Texans brass.
However, he has seen two of his teammates–Azeez Al-Shaair and Will Anderson Jr., the latter of whom was drafted one slot after Stroud in 2023–receive contract extensions this offseason while he waits.
C.J. Stroud Working Hard to Bounce Back
GettyC.J. Stroud has worked hard this offseason, striving to bounce back from a rough 2025 postseason.
Ryans addressed Stroud’s situation after McNair, noting the Texans’ QB continues to put in work this offseason.
“C.J.’s done a really good job all offseason,” Ryans told Wilson on May 4. “Just continuing to be locked in, continue to prepare the right way. He’s been dialed in to our strength sessions, our coaching sessions, and our meetings. He’s been dialed in, very into it, and that’s all you can ask for, all our guys at this time. Everybody’s looking to grow. And C.J.’s … doing a great job of growing and learning.
“He’s doing extra things with his body as well, body maintenance. So, I’m proud of the work that he’s putting in right now. That’s only going to help you when it comes time for the season. So, he’s laying the groundwork right now to have a little good season.”
As for Stroud’s potential extension, Ryans remained mum, only advising to pay it no mind.
“The contract things, I always tell guys, they take care of themselves,” Ryans said. “It’s never a need to panic or do anything different. Just keep improving as a player. You keep working on your craft. You keep doing all those things behind the scenes that improve your game. The contracts and those things will take care of themselves.”
The Texans need Stroud to do just that, as well as shrug off the turnover-prone play from the postseason, to achieve their goals in 2026.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post C.J. Stroud Gets Good News as Texans Weigh Plans for Future appeared first on HEAVY.