The NFL world collectively gasped last Tuesday afternoon, as Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was announced as the replacement for the New England Patriots' Drake Maye (playing in Sunday's Super Bowl). 

Regarding the development, Shedeur said in a statement, "Thank you God. I'm beyond excited and extremely grateful for all the love and support from the coaches, players, and fans. This wouldn't be possible without the support behind me. Still plenty of work to do." 

Fast forward to today, and it's been announced that both of the Cincinnati Bengals' signal callers will also be joining Sanders in San Francisco for the event. Joe Burrow and Joe Flacco have been added to the Pro Bowl roster as the final replacements for the injured Josh Allen (foot) and Justin Herbert (hand). 

The original starters were Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers) and the aforementioned Drake Maye (Allen and Maye were among the top-two fan vote-getters). 

As the replacement process was taking shape, many wondered how many other AFC quarterbacks declined invitations. This was due to initial reactions to Sanders' selection, considering he only played in seven games and had a stat line of: 120/212 (56.6%), 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 68.1 passer rating.

A part of that mystery was solved Monday evening, as it was reported by KPRC2's Aaron Wilson that Houston Texans' quarterback C.J. Stroud declined a replacement invite in order to focus on next season. 

The move was received well amongst some in the fanbase, as they liked that Stroud is immediately prioritizing a focus on the next phase of his career after an abysmal showing in the 2025 AFC playoffs (1-1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, with 5+ fumbles and 5+ interceptions). 

Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon, who has mentored Stroud, expressed this about the third-year quarterback to KPRC2, “I think he’ll come back really well,” Moon told KPRC 2. “He has a lot of pride. He works very, very hard in the offseason." 

Regarding Stroud's ability to rebound if the team puts the right pieces around him in the offseason, Moon continued with, “No question about it. He’s already shown that. He showed it when he first got here. And then he’s shown a lot of flashes over the last couple years."

This is the most tribulation that Stroud has faced in his young career, as Stroud has known mostly success since being drafted at #2 overall in the 2023 draft. 

He's 27-14 as a starter, with back-to-back AFC South titles and three-consecutive AFC playoff berths under his belt. He's 3-0 in the Wildcard round, but 0-3 in the Divisional round. After his implosion against the Patriots, Stroud and the Texans will seek redemption in 2026. 

Do you think Stroud denying the Pro Bowl invite was the right decision? Let us know in the comments section below and by mentioning us at @Texans_RTB on X and @Texans.Roundtable on TikTok!