Stroud's playoff resilience and youth outweigh recent struggles. The Texans see his future, not just his past, as a cornerstone.
In a recent episode of the "Todd McShay Show", NFL analyst Todd McShay gave some insight into the thinking of several "would be" quarterback needy teams heading into the 2026 offseason.
In his statement, he mentioned how some "big name quarterbacks" could be targeted with high-value trade packages. One of which being Houston Texans' signal caller C.J. Stroud.
McShay said on his show, “There’s gonna be some big name QBs that are gonna be targeted. CJ Carr is one of them. I mean not CJ Carr, CJ Stroud, sorry. CJ Stroud’s a name. Does he a need a new scenery?".
His words then ignited a firestorm of responses amongst the fanbase on social media, as many feel as though the thought itself is a laughable prospect.
This writer agrees. Here are three reasons why the Texans will not be trading their young phenom anytime soon:
The Texans Were Transformed Overnight
Lest we all forget, the Texans were an abomination on the field from 2020-2023. In total, they went an abhorrent 11-38-1 and finished as a bottom-five team in the NFL all three seasons.
After Stroud was drafted second overall in 2023, he proceeded to lead his franchise to a 32-19 record, back-to-back AFC South titles and three consecutive AFC playoff berths (including the first Wildcard berth in franchise history).
It's been the most successful three-year stretch in club history, and it's safe to think that the front office is looking to add a fourth.
He's Playoff Tested (Mostly)
In only three professional seasons, Stroud has already played in the most playoff games for an individual quarterback in franchise history (six), while also already holding the record for most postseason wins by an individual quarterback (three).
Since 2023's playoff matchup against the Cleveland Browns, Stroud has a career playoff stat line of:
- 117/194 (60.3%)
- 1,438 yards (7.4 average)
- 239.7 yards per game
- 6 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
- 80.6 passer rating
- 3-3 record
Stroud is playoff tested for the most part. The "most part" comes from his most recent, and very infamous, playoff run of 2025, when he set a record for the most horrible two-game stretch in playoff history for a quarterback.
In two games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, he was responsible for five fumbles (two lost) and five interceptions. In total, he had seven turnovers across only six quarters of play.
It was truly the lowest point in his young career, but he's not done fighting yet.
He defiantly expressed after his nightmare against the Patriots,
"This ain’t the end of C.J. Stroud, this ain’t the end of my career".
He's Only 24 Years Old
Heading into 2026, Stroud will enter his fourth NFL season as one of the four most accomplished quarterbacks at age 25 or younger in the league (along with Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye).
To think that Stroud helped to transform the Texans at only 22 years old in 2023 is quite the accomplishment for the California native. Since then, he's faced immense pressure to recreate, and even surpass in certain aspects, the monumental rookie season that he forged.
If anything, Stroud is a victim of his own success, and is now fighting to prove to the NFL world that he's not a one-year wonder. He is still very much a young player in a game full of grizzled veterans, and his 2025 campaign clearly demonstrated that he still has a lot of room to grow.
While he pursues said growth, it would be best for fans and media to be a bit more gracious with Stroud, as he attempts to fortify himself and his game at a time when his stock is at its lowest.
He needs all the support that he can get, and thankfully his teammates and organization already understands that.
Do you think the Texans should even entertain the notion of trading Stroud? Let us know in the comments section below and by mentioning us at @Texans_RTB on X and @Texans.Roundtable on TikTok!